


Alone in a crowded room

by The_Infinant_One



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: AU of the flash and Arrow universe, Angst, Child Abuse, Dark Material, Enemies, Friendship, Gets really bad before getting a little bit better, Hitting Rock bottom, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sexual Themes, Support, Unhealthy Relationships, additional tags as the story continues, anger issues, hurt and no comfort, it will have a positive ending though, once in a while
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-21
Updated: 2017-09-02
Packaged: 2018-05-28 02:56:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 27
Words: 58,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6312598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Infinant_One/pseuds/The_Infinant_One
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Barry and Oliver grew up hating each other since the moment they met when they were twelve to the last day of high school. Seven years later they find themselves as unwilling roommates. </p><p>The Arrow and the Flash, on the other hand, get along great.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Barry: 2010

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: This is going to be a different story plot than what I usually write. It is a dark fic where the characters live's spiral out of control and they literally hit rock bottom before slowly going uphill to recovery. Since these characters are suffering from serious mental illnesses I don't want to romanticize or take those illnesses lightly. If I accidentally do so or if you feel like I am doing these two things, feel free to comment and call me out on it. 
> 
> Some major negative themes that will be scattered in this fic are characters suffering from: depression, anxiety, PTSD, child abuse, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, sexual abuse, and self-worth. 
> 
> I don't want you to be triggered by any of these. Not all chapters will contain these themes and they will be scattered or mentioned throughout the story. So if you do want to continue, I will put a trigger warning at the beginning of those chapters for specific triggers. 
> 
>  
> 
> I'm excited to see how I can make this story interesting, humorous, dark, and overall a joy to read. 
> 
>  
> 
> Unlike my other stories, I'll probably use more profanity.
> 
> Please don't steal and copy or post on other sites.

**May 2010**

Barry was walking home from school defeated and tired, barely able to will his feet to move. He stopped riding the bus years ago due to circumstances of bullying and criticism so now he only had to hear it while walking down the halls in school. The words "Ugly", "fat", "stupid", "retard", and "whore" still rang in his ears as he opened the front door to his small one story house. Passing through the dark living room that was drenched in febreeze to hide the stench of alcohol and cigarette smoke he walked down the creaky hallway into his room. He stripped to take a shower to try to relieve the stress that consumed him having to look at the scars that patterned his limbs and torso. Some self made and some not.

Once in the shower he looked at his most recent bruise just below his right rib that was just now fading after a week. The principle thinks that he fell and hit it on the side of a desk on the way down but in reality it was Oliver Queen who was having a bad day and taking it out on the person he hated most.

What to know about Oliver other than his ugly personally and abusive behavior? His parents were filthy rich and Barry's dad, Henry, worked for them. When Oliver's parents threw a house party Henry was invited so that meant the whole family came. Being the "kind, social man he is" Henry put his son and Oliver in the same room to talk to each other. He was the same at 12 as he is at 17, rude, arrogant, and fake, acting like the perfect child in front of his parents, acting like himself when around other kids. This guy could seriously be an actor.

There were a couple other kids in the room rough housing with Oliver, the most noticeable being Leonard Snart, (Oliver's best friend at the time) who was throwing toys and objects around. Barry sat in the corner desperately wanting to be at home alone and away from his dad and Oliver and everyone who breathed. He was playing with his long sleeves nervously trying not to see how bad the damage his dad created the night before from drunken rage was. His wrists were burning and the pain was so unbearable that he decided to sneak a look which was the worst decision made at 12 years old. Len noticed and came over grabbing Barry's wrist painfully emitting a pained sound from the younger and pulled up the sleeve to reveal a bruised arm. of course Barry had to lie and cover up for his dad with the outcome of Oliver, Len, and the rest making fun of him.

\----

Barry was seventeen now and was almost free. His dad, thank god, got a job that made him travel meaning he was rarely home. Except this week... He was in his room listening to music when he heard the front door slam shut followed by the harsh voice yelling, "turn that god damn music down or I swear—"

Barry hurriedly did as told putting on headphones; not from fear but from the exhaustion of the day and he didn't think he could put up with Henry's yelling. His peace lasted about an hour when he heard his door open. Barry yanked the headphones out of his ears remembering the last outcome when he didn't.

"How was school?" His dad asked gruffly leaning on the door frame. He had on dress pants but his dress jacket was off and his work shirt undone revealing his hairy chest.

"Same as always" Barry shrugged not looking at his dad. He hated when his dad tried making conversation with him because it was so... Normal. Like for a second Barry could imagine that they got along and Not that his dad was abusive and drunk 90% of the time.

"Good." Henry grunted before walking to his own room. It hurt Barry's heart when his dad acknowledged his existence as a human. It was moments like these that Barry knew that there was still a man inside the monster.


	2. Oliver: Jealousy Surfaces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver's pov

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks guys for the amazing comments! Comments are what makes me motivated to continue writing so you all are amazing, thank you again!
> 
> Little bit of Oliver's pov before we get to the main story.

Oliver's day started pretty well until he left for school. His mom and dad were being dicks again; towards his sister this time which made Oliver butt into an argument that wasn't his. Thea needed to ask them questions for a fake interview for a school project but being the neglectful people his parents were she was unable to finish the assignment. They were always neglectful. Oliver wondered why he and Thea were born in the first place since his parents were obviously unable to be parents.

The argument was nasty, a lot of yelling but nothing physical. His parents played the victims like they almost always do saying how Thea and him know they're busy and should have asked some else which is where Oliver lost it. He yelled at them for being assholes and told the truth as he saw it. The argument could have gone on for hours but they had school and as much as he skipped and hated it, he had to put up a positive character for Thea.

He was a ticking time bomb the whole morning, silently fuming with every small thing that pissed him off. His friend, Len, could tell when he watched Oliver let out a whispered string of cuss words after accidentally dropping his pen in class.  

Oliver hastily stormed out of the classroom to the bathroom with Len following him close behind "I swear my family-" Oliver grit his teeth and clenched his fists at the thought of his dad. 

"Let it out." Len replied dryly leaning on the sink and nonchalantly picking at his nails. The more he thought of his parents and the more he couldn't do anything about it, the angrier he got. He couldn't stay in the bathroom one more minute or else he'd explode. As he walked out of the bathroom some unfortunate boy was coming in and hit Oliver on the face with the door.

"Oh look who we have here." Len smirked as he saw the boy's terrified face.

Oliver, sight blurry from the anger, could roughly tell that it was Barry Allen. The one kid he truly despised had to walk in at this moment. Oliver grabbed hI'm by the collar of his shirt hauling him into the bathroom roughly throwing him against the dirty white wall head first. pacing after him he yanked the back of Barry's t-shirt spinning him around and pinning Barry to the wall with his fist rooted inbetween the young boy's collarbones probably hurting him. 

  "You little bitch, you just had to do that, didn't you?" Oliver shouted. 

-

He didn't know much about Barry except his dad was apparently good friends with his parents. He vaguely remembered when Barry came to his house at that one party and how he learned to despise the kid. He watched as Henry and Barry walked in, the big smile on Henry's face and how he playfully acted around Barry who just looked scared. Probably shy at most. When Barry was upstairs with Oliver and his friends Oliver remembered Barry sitting in the corner trying to shrink into the wall. Len of course was there and made an effort to embarrass the younger kid and forced his sleeves up to reveal some nasty bruises.

"I was lifting something heavy and it dropped on my arms." Barry replied weakly.

That was actually funny. Barry was clumsy and always made a fool of himself so Oliver laughed along with his friends.

When the party was almost over Oliver walked downstairs to hear Henry bragging about his son to his own parents and all the good things he's done. Oliver felt instantly jealous. Jealous about Barry and Henry's life and how close they seemed and how Henry actually gave a fuck about his son's life. Oliver never heard his mom or dad brag about him or Thea. He only heard them complain about them behind closed doors. From then on, whenever Oliver saw Barry, all he could feel was jealousy towards him.

-

"I'm sorry!" Oliver could hear Barry plea from underneath him. He could feel the other boy struggle beneath him as he realized that he was digging his fingers into Barry's collar bones. He still needed to punch something by why not a someone? In an instant he felt his fist connect with flesh and Barry doubling over coughing almost falling. He felt kinda bad he did that but he also felt much better. Besides, it was Barry Allen.

Watching Barry cough and gasp for air Oliver roughly but not harshly helped Barry sit down for him to regain composure before leaving with Len and letting Barry sort out what happened himself.

 _I'm sorry_ Oliver thought but would never say out loud. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeahhhh Oliver has major anger issues. Hope you enjoyed, like always, comments and kudos are nice. This story will  
> Get better since the next chapter or  
> So will be them as adults and actually mature.


	3. Barry: Graduation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Graduation day through Barry's eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so now they're graduated and next chapter I'm doing a major time jump. That time jump though will be explained throught the story.  
> unedited

May 2010  
Graduation day.

Barry was finally free. Of course he was going to have to find out a way to pay for college but he swore he was going to go to college and he'd figure out a way. Get a good career and leave this hell hole behind. His graduation day consisted of him walking through the packed building and out into the equally packed yard alone to walk home. He saw as fellow classmates were grinning and hugging relatives and friends that came to watch. He even saw Oliver with his family and new friend Tommy since Len dropped out of school. Even though Barry despised the guy, he had to acknowledge that Oliver actually passed high school with exceptional grades and had a fucking good scholarship under his belt.

The happiness became a buzz around him because he knew he was just going to go home and lock himself back in his room like nothing big happened. His dad said that he'd come watch but instead went out at night and picked up some girl. He probably was home still sleeping off the alcohol or grumpy from the hangover. Barry didn't care though. He expected the disappointment already. He was about to walk off campus until he heard his name being called and looked over to see Iris, his best and only friend since 5, wave him over. She was with her dad and a couple of girl friends being happy. Barry reluctantly walked over usually happy when she called him over or even acknowledged his presence. As he arrived her friends left for another crowd.

"Hey Iris." He forced out and even impressively faked a smile. He noticed her eyebrows furrows slightly in concern before she smiled and responded happily, "Hey! Graduation day, exciting huh?"

"Yeah, I guess." He shrugged feeling awful that he couldn't act happier for her. "Sorry I'm being a downer today. I should probably go." He half smiled at Iris and Joe before walking off.

"Wait, Barry!" Iris called and Barry could do nothing but turn around by her hypnotizing voice. "What are you doing tonight?"

"The usual, nothing."

"Where's your dad?" Joe butted in.

"Uh... Home? He had a lot of work to do last night." Barry guessed not looking Joe in the eyes.

"How about this, you eat dinner with us." Joe invited him with genuine kindness. He was already too nice to Barry throughout the years, allowing him to stay the nights when he was younger, and raising him as his own when Henry very much failed at doing so.

"Thanks Joe, but I don't want to down on your party."

"There's no party." Iris almost laughed, "Just me and dad eating Chinese at that really good place we used to eat at when we were younger, remember?"

Barry remembered. Oh he remembered. He didn't remember the taste or smell but he didn't forget his dad's fist connecting with his cheek that night after he came home from the West's.

 _"You bitch. Eating that food without me. You know they don't care for you, they're just pitying you. Who raised you? You ungrateful little brat_."

Barry winced but nodded. "Okay, sure." Iris' smile grew and Joe nodded in approval touching Barry's shoulder causing him to flinch and almost retaliate. Joe noticed and quickly drew his hand back apologizing. Joe knew what went on behind the Allen's closed doors. He had a long talk with Barry about it also but Henry Allen was an amazing liar and cover up and for unknown reasons, Barry didn't want to speak up. Joe had his suspicions as to why he wouldn't. Maybe it was that he was scared, or that Henry had some threat hanging over the kid's head. Joe didn't like it but without evidence and Barry's word, he couldn't do anything but painfully watch. Of course he wasn't going to sit back and do nothing so he tried raising the kid as his own, giving him as much nourishment and positive influence he could.

Barry was about to walk again until Joe offered to drive him home which he almost didn't take up until Iris asked. God damn it she was going to be the death of him.

"Listen, if you need anything, call me." Joe told Barry through the rolled down window of the car. Barry never called though. Even when he wanted to he couldn't bring himself to do it. His dad would find out and get mad. He'd get beaten and Joe and Iris might get hurt.

"Thanks Joe. See ya later." Was all Barry could muster. As he walked into his house he saw his dad passed out on the couch with the TV news on and the Queen family somewhere on boats. Curious, Barry stopped and watched as Robert and Oliver boarded what must have been a private boat ready to sail the ocean. A girl went on also and at first Barry thought it was Oliver's sister until the two kissed. Whoever it was it wasn't the fuck boy's girlfriend.

 _Good riddance_ Barry thought and rolled his eyes before walking back to his room with the sound of the news and his dad's loud and gross snores behind.

A week later Barry heard on the news that the Queen's boat sunk and everyone had died.

_Holy shit._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor guy I love tormenting him way to much. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! Like always, comments are nice. They keep me motivated.


	4. Oliver: A Surprise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why do you guys even like this?? Lol I'm surprised it's getting so much positivity tbh since I wasn't really serious in the beginning. I was like, why not try this out? Anyways? Thank you so much for the wonderful comments! As I've said before the positivity is what keeps me motivated. :) Anyways, enjoy this

Oliver didn't want to graduate- or for a better wording, he didn't want to attend the graduation ceremony. He found it pretty stupid that his friends and family had to come see him get a piece of paper. Being the the "fuckboy billionaire" he was known for, he pretended to not give a shit that he graduated and made snide comments on how he could get by without a diploma. Following up on the comments of course was laughter since the adults thought he was just joking so Oliver just went along with it. 

He hated how his parents pretended to care about coming since it was really Thea's doing. She wanted to see him graduate since it was a "right of passage" in her eyes so she dragged their parents along. Their parents though invited some of their own friends to make the company a little better.

As Oliver was pretending to give a fuck about what some adult he barely knew was saying, he watched Barry walk out looking glum then interrupted by Iris and her dad. Barry's own dad was nowhere in sight and Oliver secretly wished that was his case. Him just graduating, not worrying about his family and the façade he had to put up, hanging out with Tommy the rest of the day, what not to love?

"Oli honey," his mom brought him back to the present. "Your dad has a surprise for you."

Oliver went with his family to the docks where, to his surprise, he saw his dad's boat, the _Gambit_ , waiting.

"Surprise! Happy graduation!" His mom announced and hugged him. Oliver forced a smile and hugged her back feeling bad about his previous thoughts about them. Yes they were neglectful but things like this is what showed Oliver that they cared.

"Well?" His father smiled. "Oh, and you can invite Tommy or Laurel if you want, I know I not the best company to be around." That struck something foreign in Oliver's small heart. His father acknowledged he sucked as a dad and as for Laurel, she and him were at a rough patch in the relationship and they currently weren't seeing each other. The argument was petty but his pride kept him from confronting her first. He may have been wrong (he didn't think so though) but she didn't have to blow the argument out of proportion.

"I... Don't know what to say?" Oliver felt like he couldn't remove the smile plastered on his face. "Thanks."

The Queen family went back to the mansion and packed for the trip. Oliver asked Tommy but he couldn't due to already planned graduation parties. He swallowed his pride and called up Laurel thinking that maybe they could make up only to receive Sara.

"Uh... Sara, hey!"  
"Don't sound so surprised Oliver." Sara's no nonsense tone came over the receiver.

  
"Yeah, so what's up with Laurel?"

  
"She doesn't want to see you unless you own up first."

  
"I- I'm not the one to blame here. She's the one who blew it out of proportion!" He defended and could hear her scoff on the other end.

  
"Mhm you and your pride."

  
"Tell her she'd probably have more fun with me."

  
"Words from a true fuck boy." Oliver could almost hear her rolling her eyes. The line went silent and he thought she hung up until she suggested that she could go instead.

"What? Sara... Your dad- Laurel, would be furious."

  
"You know, my dad can be a jerk and you and Laurel aren't even seeing each other so why not?"

  
"Okay then. Fine." Oliver didn't see a problem with it. He and Sara were friends and Laurel, if jealous, she can deal with it and confront him about it.

Oliver, his dad, Sara, and two other men went onto the boat and set off. Oliver realized when he saw the cameras that it was a publicity stunt and that he was being used to make his dad look good. He could just imagine the headers. " ** _Robert Queen sets sail with son as a graduation present."_** Oliver felt anger but since Sara was there he wasn't going to make a scene.

The first few days went well and he did thoroughly enjoy it. Sara was good company as she was funny and unlike her sister, she didn't take things so personally. _They were only friends_ Oliver thought as they started to hug each other more. _They're only good friends_ Oliver thought as they started holding hands and almost kissing.  
_Friends with benefits. I don't have real feelings for her. My feelings are for Laurel._ He tried convincing himself as he was making out with Sara on his bed.

He almost lost himself in the moment when something hit the boat flinging them to the opposite side of the room. Soon everything was chaos as water flooded the small area. Oliver could barely hear Sara screaming and had blurry vision as he felt her hand slide from his as she succumbed to the depths of the ocean.

His mind was hazy while he was on the life raft with his father. Everyone was dead and he would have been to if it weren't for his father saving him. For the first time in a long time he was grateful for his father's company. When he watched his father kill himself he realized how much the man cared for Oliver which sent him into hysterics realizing that he was truly alone. To numb to think properly the last three people he thought of as he drifted off were Thea and his mom and... Barry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! Like always, comments and kudos are nice. Thanks!


	5. Barry: Greetings and Meetings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idek guys

**August 2014, 4 years later**  
Barry was liking his new job at the CCPD. Yes, it wasn't the job he was going for at the beginning of college but with a little encouragement from Joe, he ended up as a Forensic Scientist.

Barry was happy. Since he left the house, his dad became a stranger to him. Even better, Joe was transported to the Central City Police Department and Barry moved with the West's. He was of age and his dad, as angry as he was with Barry living at the house, was even angrier when he left.

"Hey." Iris greeted Barry as he walked into the West's home. She was lounged on the couch in an overly comfy position wearing sweats and a black tank top eating ice cream.

"Hey. Should you be eating that ice cream? Last I heard, you were supposed to be dieting." Barry joked and laughed when she mocked glared at him.

"If you should know, I've already lost 5 lbs I think I deserve this little treat." She replied smirking at him and pointing her spoon in his direction daring him to say something.

Barry just shrugged and looked at what she was watching. "The news, really?"

"Hey, I- wait. Barry, isn't that Oliver Queen?" Iris' mood went serious as a flash report came on stating that Oliver Queen has been found alive.

Barry watched as Oliver made his way to the podium to start talking with a million of thoughts running through his head.

"He still looks good." Iris mumbled.

  
"You do remember he was the one who tormented me throughout my entire childhood, right?"

"I said he looks good. His personality sucks... Of sucked."

"Dude." Barry was incredulously

  
**December 2014**  
Barry was on a train on the way to Starling City after the chief of the CCPD told him that the Star City needed Barry for a crime that was committed. He hoped to God that it was a good case since the trip was roughly around ten hours. He didn't understand why their forensic scientist couldn't do the job. If he couldn't do it, why was he even there?

He was exhausted and late when he got to the scene of the crime and the head detective, Quentin Lance, was quick to point it out. Usually he would be embarrassed but who the fuck cared. He was gonna be in and out of this as soon as he could. The crime wasn't as bad as he heard but he thoroughly did his job anyways. As he was walking towards the evidence he turned a corner and almost bumped into Oliver Queen. Barry stumbled back quickly averting his gaze mumbling apologies before speeding up his pace.

 _Why the fuck is this guy here?_ Barry thought while he tried concentrating on his work. He kept sneaking glances at Oliver and the pretty blonde next to him- Felicity if he heard correctly. _Seriously, six years later and he's still into petite blond girls?_

"I think there were four men." He heard the head detective what's his name say something. Of course he was wrong but Barry wasn't about to speak up.

"'Maybe we should hear what the young scientist has to say." Oliver requested sounding snide. _Does he remember me? Or does he just like to pick on people?_

"I actually think it was one guy." Barry responded sounding sure of himself but secretly hated the attention he was getting. Usually he was behind the scenes and didn't have to talk to anyone major.

Oliver and Felicity nodded acknowledging his opinion as Detective Lance made faces as if he was mentally weighing his options.

  
"Hm. Well we'll look into it. Thank you uh..." Lance stated holding out his hand.

"Oh, it's Allen." Barry responded giving a small smile and receiving the hand gesture.

"Oh and uh, maybe stop fumbling with your sleeves, it makes you look unprofessional." The detective nodded and left.

 _Shit_. Barry forgot he was playing with his sleeves since it became such a habit. He started walking when Oliver grabbed him roughly by the arm and pulled him backwards so he was facing the other. Thank god they were the same height now.

"Still playing with your sleeves?" Oliver asked with a smirk playing on his lips. "I See some habits never change."

"Still rude as fuck? I see some attitudes never change." Barry shot back. He wasn't 17 anymore, he could handle himself.

"Wait, you guys know each other?" Felicity made a confused face using both her pointer fingers to point to each of them a couple times.

"We knew each other in high school." Oliver stated.

"He used me as a punching bag."

"That was a long time ago."

"Oliver..." Felicity gave him a hard judging gaze.

"Fuck you." Barry spat.

"I see you've grown a pair." Oliver shot back.

"Oliver!" The girl raised her voice. " _We_ are leaving." She stated in a stern matter of fact voice and turned to walk away. Okay, maybe this girl isn't like his past girl friends; She actually had a backbone.

"See you around." Oliver told Barry before following the woman.

Barry already decided that his time here has just become interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this. Idk what I'm gonna do with their characters tbh. Forgive me if I make Barry slightly rude. He and Oliver are just gonna have that relationship where they just want to punch each other just from the sight of one another. I swear I'll keep them human.  
> Anyways, comments are nice and thanks for reading!


	6. Oliver: Wistful memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oliver is so naive about Barry's life.

"Did you know him?" Felicity asked once they were out of earshot from Barry.

"I knew his name, not him." Oliver responded evenly looking directly ahead making sure not looking at her. "He was... Much more timid."

"You're not the only one who changed then. I wonder if he's single?" Felicity smirked at him jutting out her chin before walking faster leaving Oliver stunned.

-

  
As Oliver casually walked into Queen Consolidated to talk to Felicity about the theft, he saw Barry and Felicity talking— or, what he saw was Felicity and Barry having a good conversation as they laughed and flirted with eachother.

Maybe it was jealousy that made him mad or maybe it was just Felicity flirting with Barry. Either way, Oliver's dominant side surfaced and he couldn't help but interject. He quickened his pace but kept his cool as he walked up to them. Felicity looked surprised and Barry stayed neutral.

"What are you doing here?" Oliver asked tensing up when Barry gave a glare so quick that only someone paying close attention could see.

"I'm doing my job." Barry replied confused. "What are you doing?"

 _He was a very good actor. Acting all innocent and everything._ Oliver wasn't gonna buy it. "I'm working on the same case as you."

"Oh really? Why?" Barry arched his eyebrow which pissed off Oliver more. Barry knew it too.

"Okay guys. I don't know what you guys had against each other but we have more important matters on our hands than some childhood rivalry." Felicity cut in visibly angry and distressed causing Oliver to back off... For now.

"I'm gonna go, but is coffee still on at 7?" Barry asked smiling at Felicity who smiled back.

"Yeah!" She replied a little to quickly. Oliver could see her blushing as Barry walked away.

"You feel something for him." It wasn't a question.

Felicity rolled her eyes exasperated. "You need to calm down. Barry is a nice guy! You should give him a chance. Talk to him." Felicity nudged his arm smirking.

"I'll pass. Besides, he'll be gone within a week."

"But you'll have to work with him." Felicity pointed out arching her brow.

"Not directly-"

"What do you have against him Oliver? What has he done to you in the past?" Felicity was raising her voice now and getting odd looks from the occasional passerby.

Oliver opened his mouth to defend himself but then couldn't come up with anything. Barry wasn't a bad guy. There was nothing personal against him it was just that Oliver was angry that he couldn't have the fatherly love Henry gave Barry. Hell before Oliver admitted that though so he came up with some lame excuse that made him look stupid.

Oliver took in a deep breath and looked over Felicity's head to stay calm.

"Fine. Felicity, for the sake of you, I will talk to Barry."

"Good! I'll be looking forward to hear how it goes." She smiled turning and walking away.

-  
Oliver walked into the police station surprised to see Barry downstairs. Usually the younger man worked in the forensic lab upstairs and Oliver wasn't about to walk upstairs and have a conversation with him although the tho gift definitely crossed his mind. Felicity and Barry hit it off pretty well and knowing he had no real chance with Felicity, Oliver shouldn't have been so jealous but he was.

  
"Help me, please! He's trying to kill us!" A young girl screamed as she ran into the police department tears streaming down her face. Everyone looked including Oliver and Barry. The girl was pale and thin with greasy brunette hair. Her eyes looked terrified and there was blood on her shirt but Oliver couldn't see the source of it.

After she rattled off an address and the police were on the way to the home, Oliver overheard the girl hyperventilating and choking out how her abusive dad was trying to kill her, her sister, and her mom. Oliver felt pity and as a vigilante wanted to go out an arrow into the man over and over. His gaze drifted over to Barry whose eyes were wide and his skin slightly paler than normal as well as tense. Soon, he turned and fled out of the station.

_Poor guy, probably never seen something like this before._

-  
As Oliver was overseeing the Gladies from the rooftops he saw Barry walk out of a shady bar drunk and with a woman attached to him. Curious, Oliver stalked them till he saw them going into a cheap motel and he didn't have to go any further to know what was following.

He was brought out of the moment when he heard Felicity's voice in his ear. Once she knew that Oliver wasn't busy and just steaking out, she asked the question Oliver knew was coming.  
  
"Have you seen Barry?"

"No." He easily lied.

"Can you check on him? He's probably at a hotel."

Oliver didn't know if he should tell the truth or not. He would love to reveal what Barry was doing but then again, he couldn't risk it. Luckily, Felicity kept talking.

  
"He's been ignoring my calls and I don't want to intrude on his personal space. I'm worried about him."

"He won't talk to you why do you think he'll talk to me?"

"Well don't have a full conversation, just to see how he is. You're observant."

"Fine... I'll do it tomorrow."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooo will they have a decent conversation? Will they not? Is Oliver gonna press Barry for answers? 
> 
> Hope you liked it. Like always, comments are nice, it keeps me encouraged to keep writing this story and others.
> 
> Tumblr: the-infinant-one


	7. Barry: Checking In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver checks up on Barry and it pretty much goes as he thought it would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for the positive comments! I might not reply to them all but I definitely do see them and appreciate them!
> 
> And, with a request, I did make this chapter longer than my usual. Hope I succeeded.

Barry knew he wasn't over his past and when that girl ran into the station, memories flooded back and he couldn't handle it. He felt like a coward for running but if he stayed he would have had a mental breakdown. His solution? Go drink his thoughts away and find a girl(or guy, he had no preference) to fuck  through the night. Maybe he'd run into the vigilante which seemed to be big news in the city.

He woke up the next morning confused with a headache that made him feel like there was a mini man inside his head using a pick axe on his skull. He turned over to look at his phone and through his blurry vision he saw missed calls and texts from Felicity and the time reading 1:27 pm. All at once the memories of being in Star City and his job made him bolt up before realizing it was a Saturday and technically he was off work.

He stumbled into the small light green bathroom and threw up from the sickening nausea and even as he showered he had to sit down as another wave of dizziness hit him. He put his head in his hands as he tried to collect his thoughts and memories from the previous night. He remembered a red headed woman with bright red lipstick and smooth pale skin. He definitely remembered the sex being amazing and also vaguely making out with some guy earlier at the bar while he was wasted. Wether or not the guy was also under the influence of alcohol was up in the air but Barry just remembered the man was a very great kisser with amazing lips in addition.

It was about 3 when Barry got back to the his small one bed one bathroom hotel room and changed into sweats before falling into bed and turning on the TV. He swam in his thoughts and was so deep under water that he almost didn't hear the sound of harsh knocking. Throwing on an oversized black CCPD sweatshirt he went to the door looking through the peep hole and was surprised to see Oliver on the other side. His mind spun with assumptions as to why Oliver was there. _Was he mad that he went out with Felicity? Did Felicity tell him they kissed? Was it him working on the case?_

Whatever he was there for, Oliver's very presence caused his head to spin and his chest tighten. _Shit_. He hated anxiety. This wasn't the time to break down with Oliver on the other side of the door waiting. Maybe he could act like he wasn't there?

"I can hear you." He heard Oliver's flat voice from the other side of the wood door.

Fuck.

Barry opened the door slowly to see Oliver in a light blue dress shirt and jeans looking tense and like he really didn't want to be there.

"Hey." Oliver started casually.

"Hi?"

Barry managed to get out but accidentally sounded questionable. He was trying to breath evenly but found himself short of breath. He could do this. He could get through one conversation with Oliver.

The two stared and studied each other for a couple minutes in silence not knowing what to say. Oliver did look good since his hair got cut and if Barry liked him as a person and didn't have an underlining fear of him, he'd totally go for the millionaire. Barry started feeling uncomfortable as Oliver's eyes scanned his body.

"What do you want?" Barry asked slowly deciding to just get this over with. He leaned against the doorframe to keep still and automatically balled up the end of his sleeves in his fists. He was expecting the worst to happen.

"To check in on you." Oliver replied evenly and confidently submitting Barry into an even more unsure state of frenzy.

"Okay...?"

"So how are you?"

"Okay...?" Barry could only repeat.

"You look like shit."

"I'm fine. Thanks for your unneeded opinion."

"Uh huh." Oliver wasn't convinced.

"Anything else?"

"Nope. I don't think so."

"Okay... Bye!" Barry hesitated while shaking but quickly slammed the door shut trying to shake off his nerves. He turned so his back faced the door before falling on it and sliding down the smooth white wood. He waited to Oliver's footsteps leave except... he didn't hear footsteps.

"You're still there, aren't you..." Barry asked wondering how much force it would take to throw himself through and out the window.

"Yup." Was Oliver's voice in reply.

"What do you want? Just leave me alone. Please." Barry almost whined and threw his head back hitting the door with a loud thud.

"Felicity wanted me to check up on you."

"Oh yeah." Barry remembered now. Oops.

"Open the door." Oliver commanded.

"How about no?"

"Barry." Oliver used a stern voice that made Barry wince. It was the same tone his dad would use right before he was physically harmed. Somehow Barry managed to get up and open the door to see Oliver who was still standing stiff and erect, looking like he didn't want to be there, and a killer look in his eyes.

"Why didn't she come herself and ask?"  Barry asked sounding annoyed. If she cared she would have visited herself instead of sending Oliver, (who she _knew_ he didn't feel comfortable around) to check up on him.

"She tried getting in touch with you but you didn't answer." Oliver replied back with a hint of defensiveness in his tone. He walked into the room making sure to bump into Barry a tad to roughly. Barry closed the door and trudged behind Oliver.

"Oh." Barry shrugged avoiding eye contact.

"I know that you have a thing for Felicity and she obviously has something for you so listen to me very closely." Oliver's voice was deep and serious. His presence made the whole room seem darker and colder making Barry feel lesser and lesser as the minutes dragged by.

"You're either 100% in with her or you aren't. Don't play around with her feelings. If she calls, pick up. If she texts, you better answer her god damn it. And you don't go and fuck other women on the side."

"Oliver, I understand where you're coming from but Felicity is a grown woman, and smart. She makes her own choices. You're acting like the jealous boyfriend." Barry hoped he sounded more confident than he was feeling.

" Barry. I swear if you hurt her-"

"I don't wanna hurt anyone!" Barry exclaimed. The ticking time bomb that he activated yesterday finally exploded and maybe. "I don't know what your problem is Oliver, but I'm not this demonic thing you see me as."

"I'm not done." Oliver was growing angry himself.

"No, you are... For now at least."

"You better watch where you're going." Oliver warned.

"As long as I've known you, you've always had to be the top shit. I thought that when you returned from that island that maybe, maybe you changed. But you didn't. You still have a dominant trait and you're trying to have Felicity's life under your belt." 

"Don't mention the island and don't you _dare_ mention her like that."

What, are you scared that she's gonna fall for the vigilante? Are you jealous?" Barry spout out accidentally and bit his lip. Oliver took a step forward causing Barry to step back.

"She told you about the Vigilante? What did she say?"

"I can't say. From _my_ words though, I hope she goes for the vigilante than you." Barry spat.

"And why would that be?"

"Because she deserves someone who can protect her. She doesn't deserve some spoiled playboy millionaire like you."

Barry didn't have time to comprehend Oliver pushing him harshly back against the wall. A memory flashed through Barry's mind when his dad did the same thing when he found out bad news at the office. Now he was just expecting punches to follow.

"Don't ever call me that." Oliver got close enough to Barry's face that Barry could smell faint traces of mint gum on Oliver's breath.

"Yes, maybe she doesn't deserve someone like me. She doesn't deserve someone like you either. You're just a weak adult who barely knows how to fend for himself. You were weak as a teen and you're equally weak now. You couldn't even watch that girl yesterday. You're just a weak, narrow-minded, human."

Those sentences stung Barry hard and it took him everything he had to not show what he was feeling. Shaking now from rage than anxiety he shoved Oliver away harshly yelling at him to leave the room.

Once Oliver was gone Barry stormed around his room pulling at his hair wishing he could throw something. He wasn't weak. Coward, maybe, but what Oliver said wasn't true. He forced himself to deny it but the words still rang in his ears. He needed to get the hell out of Star City. There was a reason he left in the first place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oliver... Don't worry, he'll get better... Maybe. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Like always, feedback is nice. 
> 
> Come talk to me if you have questions or anything!  
> Tumblr: the-infinant-one


	8. Oliver: Family Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver has a family meal which doesn't go as planned

Oliver walked down Queen Consolidated's hallway quickly ignoring the buzz of the people around him until the clip-clop of Felicity's heels sounded behind him. He knew what she was going to ask before she did so he slowed down and recalled his encounter with Barry before she could even get a word out of her mouth.

"Wow. Am I that obvious? I mean, not that I like him obvious but more of a I'm worried about him obvious-"

"Listen, he's fine. Why are you so interested in him anyways?"

"He's an interesting guy!"

"Probably is." Oliver rolled his eyes deciding not to get into an argument at the moment. She gave an annoyed sigh and walked ahead of him with her chin up and her hands clenched.

All day Oliver heard comments about the " _forensic scientist who came in to help_ " and how " _he should transfer here_ ". When he went to the police department he heard whispers that Barry was a better forensic scientist than the current one and a couple comments along the line of "he's cute, I'd have a one night stand with him" from both genders. He couldn't get away from Barry. If the guy wasn't in his life physically he would be mentioned verbally.

Oliver was going to go crazy and for an explainable reason. He didn't have anything against the man and didn't think he was that bad. Maybe it was the guilt of the things he did to Barry in their teen years that made him unable to look the other in the eye. Maybe it was the underlying jealousy of Barry's relationship with his dad and how they seemed close.

When he went home to get away from the talk his mom walked in announcing a surprise dinner with her husband Walter, whom Oliver had still yet to know personally. The dinner was silent and a little bit awkward on Oliver's part. Everyone pretending they were a normal family. Moira occasionally made a few comments with Walter responding and of course the awkward laughter and many eye rolls from Oliver's little sister Thea.

Moira was sitting beside Walter who was still in his tux from work and across from Oliver in a plain red dress picking at the steak in front of her acting happier than she was. Thea was beside Oliver and was slumped in her seat with both elbows on the table wearing her normal cute shirt with ripped skinny jeans outfit.

"So. What do you think of Henry's son working for the Department?" Moira asked excitedly.

 _Here we go again_ Oliver thought and was ready to hear the praise.

"He seems like a good kid. Polite, disciplined, and always alert. Although he seems pretty jumpy and nervous." Walter praised laughing at the thought of Barry's jumpiness. "He was always like that though I guess."

"Wait, how do you know him?" Oliver questioned.

"I worked some odd jobs with his dad way back when. The kid would usually hide out in his room when I went occasionally went over to his house. Never spoke unless Henry directly questioned him."

"He always was a quieter child." Moira looked distant as if she was replaying memories.

"I'd fuck him." Thea mumbled before eating another bite of her steak.

"Thea!" Moira gasped like it surprised her. Oliver and Malcolm just gave each other a look and Oliver caught the quick wide eye glance that Walter directed at him causing Oliver to smirk.

"What."  Thea looked at Moira with her right elbow which held the fork halfway to her mouth.

It was Oliver's turn to roll his eyes and take his attention back to the adults.

"I don't know. When I saw Barry I just felt sorry for him."

"Why?" Oliver asked truly curious. He's never heard his parents talk about Barry or his mom. It was always about Henry. Did he even have a mom?

"Didn't his mom die or something tragic?" Walter asked as if he read Oliver's mind.

"His mother left Henry and him when he was only 11. Poor child didn't have a motherly figure in his life when he needed it. Henry did a good job though of taking care of him." She sounded apologetic.

"You mean Henry succeeded in parenting where you and dad _failed_?" Thea snapped suddenly causing three pairs of eyes to look in her direction.

"I will not talk to you about your dad. He wasn't the best, yes, but he wasn't the worst. He tried his hardest to be in your life and Oli's and support you two." Moira defended.

"Oh, you mean going on business trips 24/7 and give presents on our birthdays and Christmas as a hey _I'm a sucky father here's a present to show I remember you exist_ type of support?"

"We're done talking about this." Moira commanded with a voice of steel.

"Oh, so now you want to stop this conversation? Didn't you start it?" Thea spat back.

"I wanted this dinner to be friendly. It's been far to long since we've had a peaceful, happy family meal." Moira explained exasperated and pursed her lips.

"You mean five years? Since my _real_ dad died?" Thea glared and Walter.

"Listen Thea, I know I'm not your dad, and I'm trying not to be I just-" Walter started gentry trying not to stir her up any more than she already was.

"You know what? Before you came along  mom shut herself in her room for the first year since Dad and Oli died. She didn't come out for me, she came out for you." Thea was gritting her teeth. She grasped the fork like it was life support and was shaking from the pent up anger.

"Thea, stop it right now! I demand it!" Moira shot up out of her seat going into business mode slamming both palms onto the table causing everything on the table to rattle. "Listen, I've tried okay? I've tried to keep this family together emotionally but it's hard. Especially when it feels like I'm the only one trying."

"Out of you and me, you were the one least trying." Thea gave her last word and stormed out of the dining room leaving the three in awkward silence. Oliver saw his mom trying to hold back tears and Walter gently put his arm around her to comfort her. He knew then that Walter was a good man and would see to it that his mom would get the attention she deserved.

With that, Oliver excused himself from the table and decided to go on a "late night walk". He hopped onto his motorcycle and drove off to dress in his vigilante outfit. Once he was dressed and slightly calmed down he swung himself up onto a rooftop staring at the starless sky. 

He was immersed in the dinner discussion when he heard a faint echo. To him the voice sounded male, pleading, and distant but not to far. Jumping from roof to roof he looked down an ally to see two men wrestling on the ground, one obviously getting in more punches. Oliver dropped down in between them and once his feet touched the ground he could see the victim's features.

Of fucking course it was Barry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed. Seeing the friction between Thea and Moira and Oliver
> 
> Comments are always nice. They keep me going. Thanks!


	9. Barry: Back ally meetings

"Did you kill him?"

"Why should I care about his life? He obviously didn't care about mine." Barry replied trying to regain his wits. He would probably regret saying that later.

"You should go. I'll take care of it." The Vigilante ended the conversation.

_Why couldn't Central City have a hero like this man?_

  
\--  
 **1 hour earlier**

The sun had already set so the only light source on the city streets was attached to the occasional street lamp. Barry realized this too after working all day trying to locate the stolen centrifuge. Wrapped up in his work he almost didn't notice the time if not for the distant horn from a car driven by an angry driver.

Stretching out from being bent over all day Barry decided to head out and stop by a bar to relieve some stress. Once he arrived at the nearest bar the stench of sweat, alcohol, smoke, and cologne welcomed him as he walked to the island to order a beer. As he was drinking his mind into oblivion a man in an off-white muscle shirt and cargo pants stumbled up and introduced himself as Gavin.

Barry looked him up and down enjoying what he saw. Gavin was muscular, well-built, with a chiseled face and a nice square jaw with stubble to top it off. His nose was slightly crooked like it was broken at some point but that was just a minor trait. Unlike Barry's brunette hair Gavin's was a sandy blond color tied back into a small ponytail. He watched while the other man checked him out also. He was pretty confident in his looks and knew he could easily get the guy if he wanted.

"How many drinks is that... Barry?" Gavin asked slurring his words.

"I've honestly lost count." Barry looked at his bottle and then back at the man smiling innocently. "Maybe my sixth?"

"Daaaamn you don't look like your sixth."

"I have high tolerance I guess." Barry shrugged. He felt a buzz but he didn't feel downright drunk. Just the way he wanted it.

"How old are you?" The man ordered his own beverage.

"Old enough to drink." Barry smiled slyly.

"Tell me the truth kid, it's okay I won't tell. 19 or 20?"

"Neither."

"18?" The man started to sound frustrated. "You can't be 17... I wouldn't mind that is."

"No aaaand no," Barry replied simply enjoying the edging.

"You're killin' me here, how old are you?" Barry noticed Gavin's features change into one that was trying to hide frustration and anger. Red sirens went off in the back of Barry's head telling him he needed to be wary of this man but he kept his facade.

"25," Barry smirked at the man's features of shock.

"Yer lying to me but I'll play your game."

"Think whatever you want, I am 25."

"So you live around here?" Gavin changed the conversation in a different angle. One Barry was accustomed to.

"No."

"Where would a pretty boy like you live then?" The taller man flirted while leaning against the bar for support with a wide grin.

"Far away. You?" Barry decided to leave and paid for his drinks as quickly as he could.

"Close by actually. We should go hang out somewhere more private."

"Maybe another time?" Barry tipped the waitress and turned to Gavin finding a good spot in the conversation to walk himself out the door. He found the chance and politely stopped the conversation. As he was walking he felt Gavin grip his shoulder and watched as the hand slid down his arm until it rested on Barry's wrist.

"We should go to my place!" Gavin suggested even louder as if he didn't even hear Barry. He un gracefully stood up paying for his own drinks stumbling onto Barry slinging an arm around Barry's shoulders for support. Barry gave in reluctantly and the walked to wherever the night took them.

They strolled the quiet streets having no care in the world. Gavin's instability caused Barry to stumble a lot also making him look drunker than he was. To Barry's surprise, Gavin was funnier than he thought and found himself laughing at the drunk jokes his companion was making. The only big problem Barry had was Gavin's touchiness but he swallowed the disdain as the thought that the man would be touching more sensitive areas later.

It might have been the fact that they were in a public area and not in some seedy motel or ally that made Barry feel uneasy and exposed causing him to not fully enjoy this experience. As he was just getting relaxed and ready to let the night consume him Gavin pushed him into an ally.

"Hey, hey what are you-" Barry exclaimed in surprise stumbling to gain his footing on the damp ground. Gavin's attitude changed from a happy drunk to angry and violent.

"Oh c'mon!" Barry sighed more to himself as Gavin forcefully pinned him to the cold brick wall. Barry could feel Gavin's hot breath on his face and scrunched his nose at the smell emitting from the man's mouth.

"Where's the centrifuge?" Gavin growled angrily.

"What?" Barry's mind was still on sex.

Gavin grabbed Barry's hair pulling back harshly and exposing his neck.

"I don't know." Barry gasped loudly in hopes of some random stranger would hear. He forced himself to keep his tone calm and even to steady the growing nerves and fear resting in his stomach.

Gavin pulled out a nice sized pocket knife and held it to Barry's throat.

"Quiet bitch! Let's try it again. Where. Is. The. Centrifuge?"

Barry gulped in fear at the sharp metal pressed against his throat. He was telling the truth but the truth would get him killed and a lie would get him killed or fatally wounded. Neither sounded like a fun choice.

"I told you the truth, I don't know." Barry was too scared and buzzed to think quickly or clearly.

The metal pressed down and he felt the blood trickling down before he felt the numb pain of the shallow cut. The cut wasn't deep but enough to show him that Gavin wasn't playing around.

"How close are you to finding it?"

"I don't know." Barry was trying not to shake in fear. He watched the tip of the knife travel up to his face leveling itself dangerously close to his left eye.

"You're useless." Gavin snapped frustrated and brought the tip of the knife down on Barry's cheek. He ghosted the knife tip down till he reached the top of his mouth as a warning.

Barry squeezed his eyes shut trying to ignore the fear and prepared himself for death when he heard Gavin howl in pain. He opened his eyes to see an arrow sticking through his attacker's knife arm. In the last attempt at escaping he drew his knee up kicking Gavin in the groin finishing with a fist to the jaw. He could thank his dad for that move. Mouth bloody and legs shaking, Gavin staggered back in pain letting out a string of curses.

"Bitch! I was going to be nice to you, but I see we have to do this the hard way." The man went to shove Barry again before being punched in the face causing him to fall backward hitting his head on the way down.

Barry bent over taking in deep breaths surprised he was still alive. He touched his neck and winced at the pain when his finger made contact with the cut feeling the blood trickle down his fingers.

He thought he was free to leave until the Vigilante himself land in front of him.

"Well fuck," Barry muttered. He couldn't imagine his night getting any worse after this.

"What happened?" The vigilante's deep voice asked under the hood.

"I don't-." Know Barry mumbled before realizing how stupid that sounded. He then started replaying the past hour being surprisingly honest. He stumbled over sentences, forgot words, and ended up frustrated and eventually gave up.

He was surprised that the Vigilante listened to his side of the story. If it were anyone in the police force he'd already be handcuffed and taken into questioning.

"Did you kill him?"

"Why should I care about his life? He obviously didn't care about mine." Barry replied trying to regain his wits. He would probably regret saying that later.

"You should go. I'll take care of it." The Vigilante ended the conversation. "Can you make it back to the hotel?"

"Ye- how did you know?"

"Felicity."

"She works..." Everything clicked into place.

"Go." The Vigilante ordered.

Barry couldn't reply verbally so he tried to smile but failed. In embarrassment and a sudden wave of nausea, he stumbled out of the alleyway and turned at the entrance to see the other man check Gavin's pulse.

\---

Barry wanted out of the city more than ever. When he woke the next morning he thought about Gavin and how he might have actually killed a man. He couldn't live with the knowledge of killing a man and fretted about it all day. He guiltlessly blocked off all unneeded conversation with the exception being Felicity and worked as hard as he could with the evidence he had.

He eventually solved the case and located the area the centrifuge was in but when he told the police department, he was brushed off as crazy.

"Listen, you're doing us good kid, but why would the centrifuge be 10 miles out in the middle of nowhere?" Lance sounded annoyed at the disruption.

The sentence ran through Barry's head as he slammed his fist down on the table harshly in frustration. Gavin, Oliver, the job, Felicity's nagging to let her in on what's bothering him, the Vigilante- Barry didn't know why he decided to take this job. He definitely wouldn't do something like this again. Working his ass off for a department that he's not in, finding the object but not being taken seriously on it.

He fumed all the way back to the hotel and slammed the door immediately calling Iris.

"Hey!" Iris' cheerful voice came over the phone somehow calming Barry.

"Hey." He couldn't make himself sound as happy as she sounded and instead sounded like he hasn't slept in 2 weeks.

"Is everything okay?" Worry covered her voice.

He replayed everything that happened over the past 24 hours letting all his anger out. By the end, he was yelling but feeling better once he finished.

"I honestly don't know what to say." She sounded apologetic, "But at least you're coming home soon!"

"Yeah... if the detective here will trust me on this I can be home within 48 hours." He rolled his eyes and looked out the hotel window into the night.

"Is there any other way they'll listen?"

"Not that I can think of..." Barry had a sudden thought. "Have you heard of this city's Vigilante?"

"I heard he's a murderer. Whatever you're thinking about doing, don't do it."

"What if he'll check it out?"

"I mean... He could. But how would you find him, talk to him, and convince him?"

"I have an idea." Barry thought of Felicity.

"Okay. I trust you. Just please be careful."

"I will."

"With that note, dad just got in, I should go. Be careful, love ya."

"Yeah, you too." Barry loved Iris like a sister but he couldn't bring himself to say "I love you" back to anyone.

He called Felicity next. He wasn't 100% sure she knew the Vigilante but once the man himself confirmed they knew each other he knew he could trust her.

"Hey, Felicity. Could you do me a favor?"

Barry explained his findings and felt a little ticked when she denied knowing the vigilante. He called her out on it and gave all the facts that steered her to knowing him until she sighed and admitted she did. She agreed to let the vigilante know and hung up sounding a little pissed herself.

He felt a little bad for getting of Felicity's bad side but he really wasn't in the mood to play around. It was selfish of him but he just really needed to leave.

His night was plagued with nightmares. He dreamed about the knife at his throat but this time the wielder being his dad. He woke up with a thin layer of sweat and couldn't go back to sleep resorting to an endless night of restlessness.

When he walked into the department dead tired, he was congratulated by everyone but glared at by the head detective. Apparently, Felicity talked to the vigilante and they searched finding the stolen item.

"Allen! My office, now." Lance sternly ordered Barry.

When the two entered the room Lance looked Barry up and down scrunching his nose in disgust.

"Damn, you look awful."

"What's this about?" Barry already had a hunch. He trudged over to a chair and dropped down using all his strength to stay in an upright position.

"You asked the Vigilante for help?" Lance sounded strained and aggravated.

"Yes." Barry lied to keep Felicity out of the picture.

"And how did you find him?"

"He actually found me and I just took the chance." Barry shrugged.

"Uh huh. Listen, we don't work with the Vigilante, we work against him."

"You work against him, I don't care."

"Listen here smart-ass and don't get cocky on me. If you are physically working in this building, you're working for us meaning you don't side with the man."

"Fine, it was just this once. Sorry, I didn't know." Barry made sure his aggravation was visible. "I mean it's not like he found the stolen item that in the area I said that it was in or anything."

"You went against my orders." Lance slammed both of his hands on the table.

"If you listened maybe I didn't have to ask him." Barry mimicked Lance but did it in a more graceful manner staring the other man in the eyes.

Lance sighed. "How did you find it again?"

Barry took a deep breath before starting. "The person who stole the centrifuge made a false track leading the department on a wild goose chase. I did lead them correctly but I noticed on one of the pieces of evidence was a particle of dirt that wasn't anywhere near the area that the evidence was leading to. So I looked up where that dirt could be found in or near this city and voila, the item is found, everyone is happy, and I can go home."

"Heh, Star City to much for you?"

"Pretty much."

It was the last night in Starling for Barry in what he hoped to be a long time. He was packing up his suitcase when he heard the Windows crash causing him to turn on his heels. He saw the Vigilante himself standing tall and menacingly in his dark forest green outfit.

"Holy fucking shit." Was all Barry could come up with. The Vigilante himself was standing in the hotel room.

"I came to congratulate you on the find. It couldn't have been easy."

"Um... Thanks? What happened to "Gavin"?"

"Who?"

"The man who tried killing me."

"He's dead." The Vigilante sounded to the matter of fact. Barry's heart dropped. God, he was a murderer.

"You didn't kill him. I did. He tried attacking me."

"Oh thank god." Barry let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

They were silent, Barry's heart racing and increasing every minute the Vigilante stared at him.

"Do you have a hero name? I've only heard of Vigilante or "The Green Hood"." Barry broke the ice seeing that the man wasn't leaving.

"No." Was the emotionless reply.

"You should have one."

"Oh really. Like what?"

"Maybe Green Arrow or just Arrow. Self-explanatory but who knows." Barry shrugged.

"Who knows. I'll think of it."

The Vigilante walked back the way he came and shot an arrow into the parallel building about to jump off when Barry interrupted him.

"Hey..."

Wordlessly the man turned around waiting for Barry to continue. Barry swallowed his nerves and slowly continued what he started.

"...Thanks... For everything."

"Anytime. If you need me, you know how to reach me." Rather than the emotionless tone this time the Vigilante sounded softer.

The Vigilante turned only halfway before Barry called out again.

"And uh... Take care of Felicity. She needs you."

"You don't have to tell me twice."

With that, the man jumped and Barry watched as he swung in an arc and made his way up the building and over the ledge.

\--

Barry was on a train ride home the next morning after saying goodbye to everyone minus Oliver, who decided not to show. She made sure that he knew that she wasn't pissed at him but the man under the hood for giving away her cover. The two had their last laugh and said their goodbyes. Halfway back to Central City Barry's phone rang. Seeing it as Felicity's number he was ready to hear about how he left something important.

"Hey, what's up? What did I forget?" He started playfully but sobered up when he heard her scared tone.

"Barry, it's the Vigilante... he got poisoned-" Felicity rambled off on what happened.

"Rat poisoning. That should work.", "Yeah I know, but trust me on this." , "Okay, tell me how he is. Good luck." Barry hung up and laid his head on the window staring out into the dark afternoon skies ready to get home.

-

A couple weeks went by since the job. He felt back to normal emotionally (whatever normal felt like to him), and back in his comfortable space in his lab or his home.

Felicity called and said the Arrow (yes, he had a title now) made it out alive and she couldn't thank him enough. He swore to her he'd keep everything related to him a secret.

He was in his lab thinking about Oliver surprisingly and how the man treated him. He still couldn't understand why the other hated him so much that he could barely have a civil conversation. To distract himself he turned on the news to see how the STAR Labs new mechanism that was turning on tonight was to "make the future great". He wasn't really into their whole corporation but he had to admit that the technology was pretty cool. He sat back in his chair relaxing when he saw the news reporter on the screen become frantic and people screaming and running. Barry heard the loudest thunder he's ever heard and looked out his lab window to see the sky turning red and darkening. Black clouds were swirling above the STAR Labs' building when it started to pour rain.

Barry felt the ground tremble and knew off the bat something wasn't right. Storms didn't look like this and clouds didn't swirl around one building. He watched as a red lightning bolt streaked out of the tip of the labs and cascaded itself across the city. He was too distracted by the sky to realize the lightning bolt flying at him breaking the glass and engulfing him.

The next thing he could clearly comprehend was waking up in a white room with two strangers, one woman, and one man, looking at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your patience! I know I'm not the best or most reliable writer but I do try my best.
> 
> Anyways, critique me! comments are nice, they keep me going. If you wanna contact me or have questions about any of my writing, just ask in the comment section, I'll be happy to talk to you guys.


	10. oliver: Samples and Results

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unedited

  
Oliver couldn't believe that he witnessed Barry physically standing up for himself not mentioning knocking a grown man out.

"Well fuck..." He heard Barry mutter.

Getting over his surprise quickly Oliver treated this situation like ano other situation.

"What happened?" He asked forcing his voice to sound even and harsh.

"I don't-"

Oliver knew Barry couldn't see but he arched his eyebrow anyways. The guy wasn't actually gonna pull that bullshit. He was already hard core judging when Barry sighed and told the story. Listening intently, Oliver was intrigued and found the situation a little comical and felt only slightly guilty that he was silently happy that Barry's one night stands finally caught up to him. He was annoyed when Barry would stumble on sentences or words though and he kept playing with his damn sleeves.

"Did you kill him?" Oliver asked simply watching Barry's facial expressions in amusement.

"Why should I care about his life? He obviously didn't care about mine."

Oliver smirked. He was gonna regret saying that later.

"You should go. I'll take care of it." Oliver suddenly was tired of the conversation. "Can you make it back to the hotel?"

"Ye- how did you know?"

"Felicity." Oliver decided to just tell the truth. Felicity probably told him she worked with him anyways.

"She works..." Oliver watched Barry's confused face morph into one of realization and Oliver realized he made a big mistake.

"Go." Oliver ordered before having to answer questions.

Oliver watched Barry trip over his feet as he hurriedly stumbled out of the alleyway when he heard a groan. He turned his attention to the unconscious man striding over and kneeling down. Up close he could see two big bruises forming on the man's eye and cheek.

Damn, how hard was Barry's punches?

He reached down and checked for a pulse feeling a steady beat. Oliver looked up to the entrance of the ally to see it empty before turning the man around and pulling the arrow out of the man's shoulder. As he yanked, he felt the man grown in pain.

Good, he was awake.

Turning the man around on his back, Oliver watched with narrow eyes as the man coughed and gasped for air.

"What did you want with the other man?" Oliver growled sounding fierce and intimidating in his over voice.

"You mean the little boy? The little forensic scientist who will fuck his way up to the top?Like I'd tell you." The man let out a rigid laugh which turned into a pained gasp when Oliver set his foot on the man's injury.

"I think you will."

"Go to hell." The man spat.

Oliver pressed his foot down harshly watching the man grit his teeth groaning.

"I was looking for the stolen centrifuge!" The man yelled.

"Keep your voice down!" Oliver barked. He didn't want to have to worry about an unwanted audience. "Why were you looking?"

When the man didn't answer Oliver set even more pressure.

"Same reason you are. I'm trying to find the man who stole it." The man replied in deep breaths with tears welling up in his eyes from the pain.

"One man couldn't have stolen the item." Oliver denied. It was inhumanly impossible.

"He has superhuman strength." The man laughed at Oliver's silence. "He can kill you in one thorough punch."

Oliver had a flashback to his time on the island. He knew a man like that once but he died.

"Why are you looking for him?"

"He killed my father and uncle. They were working as security guards at QC the night the centrifuge was stolen. They didn't get recognition and were only two random unknowns for all the Queen's and police department cared." The man admitted through gritted teeth.

Revenge. Oliver knew what that felt like. Hell, he started this vigilante get up as revenge for his father. He understood, but he wasn't going to let this man get in the way.

"Back off this case." Oliver warned.

"Don't tell me what to do!" The man roared suddenly grabbing Oliver's leg pulling at it.

Oliver, caught off guard, fell harshly to the ground on his side as the man came in to attack. Blocking all of the attempted blows. He managed to get back on his feet and even out the fist fight. They went at it for a couple minutes, Oliver being on the defense to save energy and wait for the man to tire out before doing any real damage. The man brought out his knife slashing left and right blindly hoping to make a mark on the Vigilante.

Deciding that it was time to bring out his bow and arrows, Oliver drew the arrow back as a warning to the man who stopped suddenly.

"I will shoot you if I have too." Oliver warned meaning every word.

The man growled raising his knife arm in a position to throw when Oliver let the arrow fly. He watched as the man looked down at his chest to see an arrow which pierced his heart before collapsing, dead.

"Is everything okay?" Felicity's voice sounded in his ear making him jump slightly. He always forgot she could listen in and speak to him if she wanted.

"Yeah, I'm coming back. Check to see if there have been any sightings of any type of freak accidents." Oliver instructed. He needed to find this man and get a blood sample. If his hunch was correct he was in for something bigger than he expected.

"On it." Felicity replied and went silent.

Oliver made it back onto the rooftops and hurriedly made it back to his hideout hoping that Felicity had some type of result. His anxious meter was so full that when he entered through the door, he barely closed it when he asked for results.

"I couldn't find anything. Don't worry, this man will make a mistake sometime." Felicity sounded so optimistic Oliver couldn't help feel calmed by her enthusiasm and faith in him.

\--

"Oliver, I think you have your answer." Felicity sounded excited at her computer desk. Oliver and Diggle practically ran over to see what she was talking about. On the computer screen flashed a warning that a blood bank was under robbery.

Oliver, already suited up from a previous outing, ran out of the room and hopped onto his motorcycle. He needed to catch this man. Driving as fast as his motorcycle could go, he arrived at the scene to see two men hauling out blood into their own vehicle.

He already knew who was the super strength man just by the physical appearance. The man was tall, too muscular, and had red blood shot eyes. Oliver shot an arrow at the man's chest lodging itself deep inside. The arrow pierced deep enough to have killed the man but instead the other pulled the arrow out like it was nothing and kept on approaching.

The man lunged towards Oliver when his eyes started bleeding from the tear ducts. Obviously that didn't stop him but Oliver got an idea. All he needed was a blood sample and then he'd find out all the info he needed on this man.

Taking out his small but deadly knife, he ran for the man sliding under him as he threw a punch and cut the man's calf with his weapon. Getting up Oliver saw the blood on the knife but wanted to stab himself with it when it dawned on him that the man was now in the way of his motorcycle.

"C'mon! Leave the guy be, we have bigger plans!" The man in the vehicle yelled.

Grunting, the man gave one last glare to Oliver and ran into the vehicle. Oliver let the man get away knowing he wouldn't be able to defeat him even if he tried his hardest.

"Oliver! Damn you, answer me!" He heard Felicity's frantic voice.

"I got a blood sample." Oliver smiled to himself.

\---

"What do you mean you can't identify it?" Oliver was forcing himself not to shake Felicity by the shoulders.

"I'm not a scientist! I studied and majored in computer programming." Felicity defended.

"Are you sure you can't look this up?" Diggle asked staying on the sidelines and trying to keep the ground calm.

"Oh yeah, I didn't think of that. Thanks for that useless advice!" Felicity started raising her voice.

"I do know someone who could identify it but wait, he's on your bad side, right?" Felicity jabbed at Oliver by mentioning Barry.

"I am not asking him." Oliver rolled his eyes.

"That's a pity isn't it? Cause you know, it's not like he can't get you answers within 24 hours or anything."

"I-" Oliver started. He got her. He hated Barry but he really needed answers more and he knew deep down Barry could do it.

"She's got a point." Diggle pointed out.

"I- fine. You take the sample to him though, I can't."

"Gladly!" She sounded a tad to happy and she knew it. "What? I can't be excited?" She lamely defended as Diggle gave her a look of slyness and pursed lips and an eye roll from Oliver.

"How will I give it to him without him thinking I work with the Vigilante?" She changed the subject.

Shit. Oliver thought mentally punching himself. He didn't tell her that the he accidentally revealed her secret.

-

The next area that was found as a clue to the missing centrifuge turned up coincidentally the very afternoon of the van robbery. Oliver strategically placed the bloody knife near the crime scene using gloves so he wouldn't leave a trace. If Felicity's tactic was true, Barry would be all over the knife trying to distinguish the blood and would have results back in no time.

He left before Barry showed up not wanting to have to look him in the eyes or talking to him.

-

Diggle and Oliver were having a meaningless chat while cleaning up their weapons and gear when Felicity walked into the hideout.

"He has the blood and is examining it right as we speak!" Felicity sounded victorious.

"Great! When are the results in?" Oliver didn't even try to hide his anxiousness.

"Within 48 hours, he also found a clue as to where the centrifuge is and he thinks he got it."  
Felicity was beaming.

"I need the samples now!" Oliver let out a frustrated sigh.

"Relax! He's doing the best he can. Remember, his main purpose here is to help your mom, not the vigilante." She defended but not sounding angry.

"I'm sorry it's just- if this this is what I'm thinking it is, our problem just got bigger."

"What do you think it is?" Diggle asked.

"It's hard to explain. I'll tell you guys later."

"Tell us now." Felicity urged gently.

"I-" Oliver couldn't bring himself to talk about it without digging up memories of the island.

"We'll talk after Barry gets those results, how about that?" Felicity suggested.

Oliver gave her a grateful smile and walked out thinking of the time on the island when he actually made a friend.

\---

Results almost in, come to department.

Felicity's text rang through to Oliver's phone as he was walking aimlessly through his house.  
He wanted to know so badly about what was in that blood sample but didn't at the same time. He knew his hunch was correct and he didn't want to have to face men under the substance ever again.

Putting on a light hoodie, he drove a car to the department this time in case anyone recognized his motorcycle and connected him with the Vigilante. As much as Oliver didn't want to see or talk to Barry, he wanted to find this man more before he caused more harm. Walking up the stairs he was about to enter the lab room when he heard Felicity's voice behind the door. Sneaking up, he looked through the cracked door to see Barry handling a bunch of chemicals on the shelves without gloves and Felicity close behind him watching him thoughtfully.

That dumbass. Was all Oliver could think.

He listened in on Barry and Felicity's conversation not understanding any of the scientific terms they were spitting out.

"...Nitric acid next to hydrazine Permanganates on top of acetone? These are some pretty dangerous chemicals. Definitely shouldn't be near each other not to mention touching each other." He started to pick them up and reorganizing.

"Then don't touch them you idiot." Felicity playfully scolded him.

"No I mean, if these two accidentally touched you'd guys have a fire or one big hole in the floor. The acid is stronger than you think."

"Stop touching it!" Felicity sounded worried and Oliver smirked as he watched her face as she realized her unintended innuendo.

"That's not what he said." Barry smiled making Felicity laugh and Oliver angry.

Usually she would follow up with an explanation on what she actually meant but instead turned red and had to turn around looking up as if to swallow her embarrassment.

"I don't wanna bash your forensic scientist but... He needs to study a little bit more on the chemical part." Barry changed the subject.

Oliver forced himself to stay put as Barry shot down the Forensic Scientist working for Star City a couple times and used all his will power not to strangle Barry's beck as he listened to the two flirting together.

Oliver heard her heels clicking and took that as his cue to leave. Before he could get of of sight, he heard the door open and heard Felicity call his name. Like a dog who got caught red handed, Oliver slowly turned around waiting for her to catch up.

"How much of that did you hear?" She asked as they continued walking towards Oliver's car.

"I arrived when he was being a dumbass by touching the chemicals." Oliver sounded light pretending not to care about what he just witnessed. Felicity falling for Barry like a 14 year old school girl.

Felicity chuckled but quickly turned serious. "So I have good news and bad news. Good news is is that Barry located the Centrifuge! He's going to let Detective Lance know in a few minutes! Oh, he also found out this." She ended simply and handing him a paper with all the details of what was traced in the blood.

Oliver, not wanting to ruin her lively mood, decided to read the list later folding it up and putting it in his hoodie pocket along with both hands.

"So when are you going to ask him out on a date?" He smirked as she looked genuinely shocked.

"I'm surprised you're even hinting at that! I thought you hated him!"

"I do, but you don't. He obviously makes you happy and my hatred for him shouldn't keep you from dating him." He swallowed his pride today that sentence.

"Aww." Felicity smiled and linked arms with him as the two walked outside and down the steps. "I was thinking of taking him out somewhere. Maybe dinner or the bar?"

"Go for the dinner but keep in mind that you don't look like one of those middle aged women who date teen boys." Oliver shrugged.

"What are you saying about my looks, hm?" Felicity looked mad.

"I mean, I wasn't-" Oliver faltered.

"I'm kidding. Geez." Felicity nudged him. "So bar then?"

"Sure. Can't wait to hear how they'll card him at the bar though."

"He's 24!"

"He looks 18-19 at most." Oliver defended himself. They reached his car but stood out in front of it continuing their conversation.

"You're just jealous that you don't look that youthful." Felicity smirked.

"I'm just sayin." Oliver took his hands out of his pockets and held them up in surrender.

"We'll see. He's probably busy anyways."

\----

"What's wrong?" Diggle asked as he walked in on Oliver sitting glumly in the hideout and Felicity sitting quietly at her desk playing around with some files.

"He won't say." Felicity sounded annoyed.

"Man, you gotta talk to us." Diggle leaned against the wall crossing his arms.

"I saw the name of the substance Felicity couldn't detect." Oliver forced himself to say. Now wasn't the time to shut his friends out.

"And?" Diggle brought up a chair and sat across from him leaning back on the seat crossing his legs.

"It was ketamine."

"Isn't that some sort of hallucinogenic drug?" Felicity asked.

"Yeah. It was used in this serum called Mirakuru. I think someone is trying to remake the serum. Stealing the blood and they're either going to try or already have ketamine to create this."

"What does it do?" Felicity urged Oliver to keep talking.

"Makes men into monsters. Can you see if there's any ketamine stashed away in the city?" He asked Felicity. He knew she could.

"Yep." Her phone rang at that moment and she excused herself.

"I feel like you aren't telling the whole story." Diggle called Oliver out.

"I'm telling you what you need to know about the people." Oliver kept his voice even to hide his feelings.

"Yeah okay I'll ask." Felicity walked back to the group looking pissed off.

"You told Barry I worked with the "Vigilante"?"

"I thought he knew." Oliver rolled his head back towards his shoulder blades to relieve some muscle stress.

"Well he does now. No wonder why he was making so many comments about me and the vigilante. He already knew!"

"Well he knows. Just know if he finds out about my identity I'm putting an arrow or two through him."

Felicity sighed drastically. "whatever. He wanted me to tell you that he found the centrifuge but Lance won't believe him. He wanted you to check it out."

"Okay."

"Okay? No doubts about him?"

"Listen, if he found the centrifuge, the man might be there also."

Oliver suited up and with Diggle's help, they went to the coordinates that Barry gave and ended up in the middle of nowhere. To cover more ground the two split up relying on their ear pieces to keep them in contact.

"Wow, what makes him think it's over here?" Diggle asked.

"Keep searching. It's gotta be around here somewhere." Oliver ordered.

While searching aimlessly for about 30 minutes Oliver was thinking up ways on how to kill Barry. If he should take his time or make it quick. He wasn't expecting a big cement building with the words 'Centrifuge is here' in bright red blocks but he was expecting at least some form of a factory or abandoned place.  
Looking for a hatch or underground tunnel was exhausting due to all the leaves.

"Felicity, I think your boy crush got-" Oliver started when he tripped and fell on some rocks.

"God damn it." He hissed and positioned himself to get up when he felt something odd with the rocks.

Living on an island for five years he knew how rocks and dirt should move when stepped or fallen on and these rocks weren't moving at all.

"Diggle, I think I found something." Oliver exclaimed and gave off his position.

He knelt down to pick up a rock to discover that he couldn't. These rocks weren't put there naturally but seemed to be connected to a large cement slab. It was a very well hidden and Oliver couldn't help but be impressed.

"I'm going to go in." He announced to the two.

"No, wait for me." Diggle responded hastily. "I'm almost there."

"Wait for Diggle." Felicity warned.

Ignoring both of them, Oliver found the hatch covered by leaves and with some struggling, he managed to open the circular door to reveal a ladder. When he climbed down he was met with a large, circular concrete room with the centrifuge in the middle connected to a bunch of wires. Around the stolen item were 20 metal hospital looking beds all empty. Hinting by the dust collecting on the objects, Oliver estimated that nobody has been down lately giving him a chance to find the ketamine before the bad guy did.

"Found it." Oliver confirmed distractedly. He sliced the wires carelessly unhooking the centrifuge so it stood alone and left. Next step, Detective Lance.

-

"I found the centrifuge." Oliver called the detective once he was back in the car with Diggle.

"How." Lance sounded tired.

"Your forensic scientist gave coordinates. I suggest you follow them." Oliver hung up not wanting to hear the follow up.

\----

Oliver sat in a quaint coffee shop waiting for Felicity to get her drink. He took swig of his coffee to calm his nerves. He shouldn't be drinking coffee like a mundane person when there was a super powered freak running the streets.

"So Barry's leaving today." Felicity started talking before she sat down.

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah, Lance wasn't happy he asked you for help. You should congratulate him."

"Why? I barely talked to him. The conversations we did have haven't been the most pleasant." Oliver pointed out.

"Talk to him as the Vigilante then." Felicity sighed. "I wish you guys would get along. He really is a cool person."

"Fine, I'll talk to him."

"Hurry, he's leaving in a couple hours."

\--

Oliver realized Barry wasn't that bad of a person. He didn't hate him as much as he thought.  Thinking back on it in raw form, Oliver concluded he was jealous of the other. It was childish and he decided to own up to his naive actions and let the grudge go.

When Felicity saw Barry off she helped him track down the ketamine. It only took a couple minutes to discover a whole garage full of the substance locked away in and ARGUS facility.

"Well at least it's there?" Felicity tried to find a bright side to it.

"C'mon." Oliver muttered silently to Diggle beside him.

The two were out in no time. Oliver on his motorcycle and Diggle in the van in case of emergency. Thanking God that Diggle was in good terms with ARGUS, Oliver was able to run right into the warehouse just as the powerful man tore down a garage door.

Oliver, with the backup of some ARGUS soldiers, drew his bow shooting arrow after arrow at the oncoming attacker. Without slowing the man down, each arrow seemed to make the man angrier and faster. Oliver blindly ran in for a hand to hand combat only to be knocked aside like a rag doll into a crate. Dizzy, he felt a pain all across his back and arms. Looking down the last thing he saw were syringes sticking out of his suit before passing out.

\---

Oliver woke up to see Diggle and Felicity looking at him worriedly.

"Oh god I thought you died!" Felicity almost cried.

Oliver looked over at the neighboring table to see rat poisoning. Looking at the two he raised his eyebrow for an explanation.

"That's what saved your life. It killed the chemicals that were injected into you." Felicity explained.

\----

January 2015

The man who stole the ketamine went off the maps leaving Oliver to go back to his normal city watch. He knew though that it was only a matter of time before he popped up again. Returning to Felicity and Diggle after a boring night out, he saw Diggle comforting Felicity who was actually crying. She never cried. Immediately worried he went up to her asking her what was wrong.

"It's Barry. He got hit by lightning. He's not waking up!" She replied choking back a sob.

\---

It was a quiet night that night, everyone wrapped up in their own minds. Felicity obviously thinking about Barry and Oliver surprisingly thinking about Barry instead of the super human.

"Oh my god just staple already!" Felicity shouted through clenched teeth.

The stapler wouldn't staple effectively and instead got jammed.

"Guys, I need a distraction. Talk about something." Felicity took her fingers and rubbed them against her temples.

"What do you think about having a title instead of Vigilante?" Oliver offered a topic of conversation.

"Oh yeah? Like what?." Diggle added trying to make conversation.

"The Arrow."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this. I enjoyed writing this chapter. I haven't watched Arrow in forever so if Felicity and Diggle's character's seem off I'm sorry about that, I'm writing them mostly from memory. Oliver's storyline at the moment is also from memory. I only remember bits and pieces of the Mirakuru storyline so I'm just going with it. 
> 
> Anyways, comments are nice, Good or bad, it keeps me going. thank's for reading.


	11. Barry: part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry woke up and is trying to cope with his new power

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys it's finally up! This chapter was so long I decided to split it into two parts. I took so long because I really wanted to detail this chapter up. 
> 
> Tw:anxiety attack  
> (Idk if this is actually a trigger warning but I'll put it there to be safe) if you still want to continue story I will put a summary of what happened in the end notes so you can keep up.
> 
> If you haven't noticed I also bumped this up to Mature because of materials I didn't know I'd be writing about when I started this  
>  
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoy!

Barry came to his senses pretty quickly. He was shirtless in a strange bed with cords hooked up to him and not to mention that the room was foriegn to him. He jumped when his vision cleared and saw a man and woman looking down over him. The man was wearing khaki colored pants with some TV show T-shirt and the woman wore a simple black dress that ended just above the knees with two thin grey stripes parallel of each other running up the sides.

He shot up in a panic scaring the two people looking down on him. He gasped for air only to gag and find a plastic tube lodged in his mouth. He ripped it out as best as he could flinging it to the side and continuing onto the IV and heart monitors. In his state he could barely feel the sting of the needle when he tore it from his body and could care less about the blood that followed.

"Woah, woah, woah dude calm down!" The man with the long black hair exclaimed.

"Don't tell him to calm down!" The woman scolded and the man held his hands up in surrender.

"Where the fuck am I?" Barry gasped looked around frantically feeling all the signs of a panic attack.

"Barry-" The woman's voice was soft but didn't comfort Barry in the slightest.

"How do you know my name?" _Oh god, he felt like his chest was going to explode._

"You're in STAR labs. It's safe here." She continued. "Cisco, call his dad!"

Those words meant nothing to Barry except the last words call his dad.

"No!" Barry cried out but choking on his breath. He started hyperventilating And soon couldn't breath. That scared him every time. His mouth went dry and his tongue felt like sandpaper against the roof of his mouth. As much as he tried gasping for air all he was doing was choking, heightening his fear.

He clutched his chest desperately trying to claw at the invisible cage that kept him from breathing freely. His heart was racing at an abnormal speed. In his haze and dizziness even he knew hearts shouldn't be beating this fast. Then a new sensation hit. He looked down to see his hand blurring. Just his hand. It was still there, he could feel the vibrating sensation on his chest, but he couldn't feel it.

Oh shit, he was gonna die. He never felt this feeling before and knew this time was legit. He was dying. His senses shut down with the exception of touch. Everything that was happening at once turned into a slow motion time frame. His blurry eyesight could see the two people oh so slowly jumping back in alarm before the woman agonizingly slow went for his wrist. Anything in the room that was more than 10 feet away from him started blending together. Literally.

The man was trying to tell him things but his ears wouldn't listen. Instead all the outside noise blended into one low buzz. He felt his mind disconnecting from his body. He could see the two people trying to contact wit him but he didn't feel like he was in the bed.

Right as he thought he was heading off into the great unknown he jerked back into full consciousness and screamed. Everything was too fast now. From living in slow motion and an ambiance he felt dizzy and everything was too lound. He thrashed around not letting the two anywhere near him.

"Barry! Talk to us man!" The man commanded.

"You're safe! We're here for you. What do you need?" The woman asked urgently but still somehow calm.

"Air." Barry managed to choke out. His throat hurt. He knew he had to breath in deeply and exhale but it was so damn hard.

He tried anyways.

"Okay, but you need to help me. Do you understand?" The woman stated.

He could only nod still clutching his chest. It wasn't as bad as it was a while ago but he couldn't calm down.

"You're already doing it but I need you to continue to take deep breaths."

He followed her instructions and allowed her to check his pulse on his wrist. Soon he was able to breath normally but felt a wave of nausea and tiredness crash over him. He could literally feel the front of his brain soar up and down and he felt like fainting.

He let himself fall back onto the cushioned bed resenting the helpless feeling, the vulnerability, and the fact they were looking at him like he was some creature and not a human. His arm started to throb and he looked over to see his forearm covered in streams of blood that trailed down to his fingertips. _When did it start bleeding? Oh yeah, the needle._

"Dude, how did you do that?" The man asked.

"What?"

"You vibrated. Dude that's awesome!" He exclaimed with excitement.

"Who the fuck are you?" Barry asked closing his eyes not wanting anything to do with these people. _Did they think he was stupid? People don't vibrate._

"Oh sorry, I'm Cisco. Cisco Ramon, amazing engineer and probably one of the best hackers you'll ever meet." Barry opened one eye to see Cisco with a big innocent grin on his face. "And this is-"

"Caitlin Snow. I'm a doctor And scientist." She gave a quick sweet innocent smile to Barry before giving an annoyed glare at Cisco. "Do you know where you are?"

Barry thought about it. They told him earlier but he didn't really think much of it.

"Ah... No."

"STAR labs." Another male voice, deeper though, responded.

Barry felt like his soul jumped through his skin. For a moment he thought it was his dad. Their voices sounded similar but when he looked over he saw a man in a wheelchair rolling in slowly until stopping until he was right beside the bed. Barry sat up stiff and alert, watching the man but averting his gaze to look at the man's eyes. Instead he focused on the man's hair.

"Harrison Wells?..." Barry made it sound like a question although he already knew he was right.

"Yes. And you're Barry Allen. The man struck by lightning." Wells' commented with a subtle hint of mock awe. He laced his fingers and rested his hands on his thighs staring intently at Barry like he was trying to put together a puzzle.

Barry felt insignificant and slightly discomforted when Wells sat beside him. The aura the man radiated was one of dominance and no-nonsense. The same aura his dad had. His skin started to crawl when he noticed the man's gaze was traveling around his chest. He remembered the scars.  Oh god, they can't know. Barry looked down to see most of his old scars. _Most_. Some of the scars his dad gave him had vanished. The skin smooth and clear as if they have never been defiled and slashed. _Also, when did he get abs?_

_What happened to me?_

Barry started to chew the bottom of his inside lip to keep him from retorting something he'd regret and to keep him from hyperventilating again. He felt different. Not just emotionally either. Usually after his panic or anxiety attacks he just felt out of breath, exhausted, and shaky. This time though he felt fine. Physically at least. Emotionally and mentally he felt drained and was in deep need for some type of distraction.

"Barry, you with us buddy?" Cisco waved a hand in front of Barry's face.

Barry snapped back to the present, realizing that he only thought his question and not vocalizing it.

"W- What happened to me?" Barry hated his shaky his voice sounded.

"You got struck by lightning and went into a coma." Caitlin started. She was tending to his arm.

"Coma? How long?" Barry looked around.  He watched the three give each other looks and got aggravated. He narrowed his eyes daring someone to answer.

"Nine months. You kept dying but then coming back to life." Cisco responded gravely but sounding like he was trying to contain his excitement.

"Nine..." Barry furrowed his brows and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Do- do people think I'm dead?" Barry went to the worst possible but unlikely scenarios.

As if Wells read his mind he confirmed that Iris and Joe made many stops as well as Felicity and Oliver, and Henry.

"Oliver?... My dad?" Barry was genuinely confused on that one. Why would he care? On top of that, why Henry?

Barry felt his throat close up. Why would his dad visit him? After neglecting and abusing him his whole life, he didn't understand why his dad would care if he died or not.

He looked away from the three onlookers. He needed to get out of the bed. Not thinking clearly he got out not caring if he was shirtless (and silently thanking God for the sweat pants since he didn't think ahead about pants wear) and took about three steps before falling and catching himself on a desk. From laying down for so long he didn't realize his leg fell asleep.

"Where do you think you're going!" Caitlin exclaimed while she ran to help him up with the assistance of Cisco.

"I need to see Joe." Barry mumbled. _And Iris. He needed to make sure Iris was okay._

"You just got out of a coma." Caitlin used a doctors voice. "Sit down. I need to check on you." She steadied Barry as he was standing and grabbed his arm in a gentle gesture.

"No, I'm fine."

Cisco hurriedly walked out of the room by an inaudible request from Wells and returned with a dark blue sweater. Barry awkwardly put it on but relished in the warmth.

"No you aren't." Wells responded coldly.

"I swear guys, I feel fine." Barry attempted to convince them and himself that he was.

"You're lucky you can even move and speak. Don't test your luck." Caitlin jabbed.

He turned feeling like running out of the building _Why did he feel like running?_ He rarely ran. Maybe it was just the stress and anxiety these three people brought on. He gently pushed Caitlin away so he could stand independently.

"Thanks uh..."

"Caitlin."

"Yeah, thanks for taking care of me but I just really need to see Joe and Iris." Barry explained giving them an apologetic look.

He started out expecting to feel a hand holding him back. When the physical touch didn't happen he quickened his pace when everything around him blended together and he hit the wall falling to the floor stunned.

_What the fuck just happened?_

Barry was shaking when he got up and leaned against the wall. He swore he was just by the table, which was a good 20 feet away. He looked at the three to see complete and utter shock on Caitlin and Cisco but a faint smile on Wells that made his stomach churn.

He couldn't remember. How did he get to the wall?  Was this a long term effect of the coma? Was he going to experience times when he wouldn't remember what he was doing?

"What just happened?" Barry hoarsely sounded lost and confused. Which was exactly what he was feeling. His chest hurt from the containment of feels and fear he was experiencing. He needed an out and fast before he was a crying mess.

"Here, sit down." Caitlin sympathized and moved to grasp his hands stopping them from clawing at the sleeves like they were his lifeline. Barry didn't even know he was playing with them. 

He moved away from her, leaving her to hold empty air. "Talk to me. Please." Caitlin urged.

"No." He said simply. He wanted to talk. He wanted to get these feelings out of him. He wanted to take the pain in his chest away.

He couldn't though. Barry didn't know what he was feeling and hell, he couldn't talk about it. If he could move fast he was going to take advantage of it.  Taking one step at a time (at the speed of light) he focused himself and ran out of the building.

-

Barry was disoriented and confused. The lights in the building made him think that it was only afternoon but stepping- or in this case running, outside indicated it was much later than the afternoon. The sudden light to almost pitch black made his vision blur and cause him to run into a pole. His body ached from the impact and he groaned when he felt a bruise already forming on his arm where most of the force was directed.

He was a forensic scientist who studied most of his teen and college life on physics and logical things. This... Speed? It wasn't possible. It defied the laws of physics! Yet here he was running down the city streets, over the bridge, and ending up at the foot of the steps of the West's residence.

The only indication that the West's were home was the yellow glow of a table lamp and the flashes of light signaling that the TV was on.  
His heart skipped a beat when he saw Iris's figure walk into the living room and stood in front of the TV, watching whatever was playing. He watched the outline of her body lean back as she laughed and turn her head to the couch where Joe had to be sitting. He never experienced a romantic love from either sex but knowing Iris, he thought to himself that their bond was better than any romantic bond could be.

The only reason why he was walking up the creaky wood stairs was because of the cold nipping at his neck and cheeks. He wasn't using his speed but time seemed to slow down; every footstep sounded too loud, and the buzzing noise started again in Barry's ears. He stopped at the doormat, and raised his arm to knock but halted as his fist inches away from the door that he was about to tap on. Irrational fears of them abandoning him flooded in from nowhere and smashed him.

"God." Barry muttered under his breath. He hated himself. He couldn't even get the courage to do something simple as knocking on the door to reunite with two of the best people he will ever know in life.

_I'll do it tomorrow_

He shook from fear, anticipation, the cold, or all three. He was a wreck. Letting  out a shaky breath he didn't know he was holding he backed up slowly when the all to familiar creak of the door sounded.

"Oh my god... _Barry_?" Iris gasped. Her face lit up as a big grin made its way on her lips.

Barry stood his ground but looked off to the side into the darkness when he felt arms clasp around his chest, pulling him in tight. At that moment he realized it would be okay. This moment at least. He hesitated before slowly bringing his arms around Iris, pulling her in tightly. They melted together, neither wanted to let go. Barry's hesitant breathing slowed until it was in sync with his best friend's.

Iris pulled her head away slightly but her arms were still wrapped around his chest. She had tears glistening in her eyes when she sniffles and smiled, her voice cracking a little when she explained,"I thought you were dead. You wouldn't wake up and you kept dying!"

"Well I'm not dead." Barry attempted at a joke.

"You're shaking like a leaf." Iris noted. She stepped back and grabbed his upper arms and pushed him back at arm length to get a better look.

"Y-yeah, it's cold out." Barry shivered. He didn't want to ruin the mood so he convinced himself it was the cold. Deep down inside though he knew it wasn't.

"Are you okay? You look like crap and your heart is beating really fast." Iris knit her brows looking him up and down as if she'd see something that wasn't there a moment ago.

Before Barry didn't reply Joe walked out, surprise and pure relief shining on his face.  "Well speak of the devil."

"Joe." Barry grinned and went to hug the man thankful for the distraction.

"When did you wake up?" Joe asked.

"I'm not sure honestly... 45 minutes ago at most?" Barry shrugged.

"Well I'm glad your up and walkin. Come in! It's freezing outside." Joe practically shouted and hook an arm around Barry's neck dragging him in.

\--  
Once the reunion was over and Iris caught Barry up on everything, Barry settled back into his room while the two were in bed. He pretended for a moment that life was good and wasn't full of confusion and regret.

He laid down on his bed. The familiar fabric brushing against his now bare skin. The euphoria was fading and reality started to set back in.

He still needed to figure out what to do with his... _Condition_. Yeah, he loved running but it freaked him out. He didn't want it but he did. He felt free when he ran, and the energy that pulsed through his veins was a feeling that no drug or alcohol has ever given him. He didn't know if it was a good feeling or a bad one. It was just a _feeling_.

What Barry was currently feeling was a pounding in his chest that threatened to bring tears. The more he thought of the speed and his current condition the more he felt stressed and out of control. Powerless. 

_Alcohol_

Rummaging around his drawers he pulled out his wallet and to his relief saw his card and ID. Pulling on some black jeans and a white t-shirt he threw on a dark red jacket and snuck out heading to a bar in Central City's nearby town.

\---

"Fuck, no." Barry murmured to himself.

He couldn't get drunk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So next part is going to come up tomorrow night! I'm almost done writing it.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was very interesting to write but also fun.
> 
> Comments are nice. they keep me going and give me motivation to write.
> 
> Also, I'm going to write a couple chapters in someone else's POV in the future. Do any of you have any preferences? I already have a couple characters in mind but I am happy and willing to hear what you want and why you want it!
> 
> I almost forgot, here is the summary  
> •Barry woke up in STAR labs and had an anxiety attack.
> 
> •Cisco and Caitlin are introduced and try comforting him
> 
> •Barry meets Wells and is reminded of Henry.
> 
> •Barry realizes some of his scars are gone
> 
> •Barry finds out about his power and doesn't know how to feel about it
> 
> •Finds out Oliver and Henry came to see Barry while he was in a coma(made him uneasy) 
> 
> •Barry meets Iris and Joe and they have a small reunion
> 
> •Barry sneaks out of the house and goes to a bar only to find out he can't get drunk


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part two of Barry.  
> He is still coping with his new found powers and finds some type of comfort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys sorry for the late post! Shit happened but it's all good now.
> 
> I'm putting a tw for dub-con/rape if you see it like that. It's only a section of the story so I'll say when the Tw starts and ends in bold so you can skim/skip that part.
> 
> It took longer also because after the last chapter, I had to try to write half that good. (As good as I can write at least)
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter! It's long.(to me at least. 3,3something words?)

_Well fuck me_

Barry was on his 8th shot only feeling a slight buzz and if anything else, sick. He decided to up the liquor percentage but only feeling tipsy as a result. 

Was this a side effect of him dying? Are his nerves just shutting down? Or is it just the goddamn ability he had. If so he'd rather die.

Barry growled in frustration feeling too many emotions and nothing at the same time. He balled his hands into fists really wanting to hit something. Maybe it was the influence of the tipsiness that made this anger surface but either way he needed an out.

The bartender noticed the frustration and told him off in case he became violent. Barry stumbled out of the bar overwhelmed with anger and the fear that he wouldn't be able to drink his problems away anymore. His next go to was to find someone to fuck his problems away momentarily.

It was confusing and he wasn't thinking correctly.

He started to walk without purpose. Just a nobody on the streets of town living his pathetic life. He thought about how he felt when running to the West's home. He loved the feeling but hated the side effects. Just like everything in his life. He passed a cheap sleazy bar deciding not to go in. His reasoning was that he just got out of a coma. He wasn't ready and didn't _need_ to have sex... But he really _wanted_ a distraction. Want overpowered need and at the last minute he turned and walked in.

It didn't take much. Not even many words. Barry knew how to pick someone up. He sat himself down drinking a drink that couldn't fulfill his needs at the bar when a man dressed in a business suit walked up. The man was older than him by a long shot. Maybe middle aged at most with salt and pepper hair slicked back. The most noticeable trait to Barry was his slightly curved nose and stubble as if the man hadn't shaved in a while. By the looks of him and the way he dressed, Barry guessed he was an out of state business man in need of someone to fuck to satisfy his needs.

Barry could feel the warm uneven breath as the man whispered empty promises in a gravely voice making Barry shiver with anticipation.  
With a couple of touches Barry nodded his head as an okay to the man. Although the anticipation of what this man was going to do to him was growing, Barry was still upset about not being able to drink and the thought of his powers holding him back in the present.

_No, enjoy this. You're going to enjoy this._

-

He didn't know what he was doing. He rarely had sex sober (if he did it was years ago) but here he was, at the mercy of another man, completely drunk, and him completely sober. 

They landed in a motel with creaky beds and thin peeling white walls. the covers had suspicious stains on them the Barry was willing to overlook and not think about.

_I wanted this. If I didn't want it I wouldn't have looked for it. I can enjoy this._

_**\---TRIGGER WARNING?---** _

He didn't want this though. Not really. He wanted out but the moment he tried to get up the man pushed him back down roughly scaring Barry into submission.

"What's with the scars?" The man broke his trail of kisses and asked uncaring.

"I'm not talking about them." Barry growled and pulled the man back down into a half assed kiss. He got that question a lot. Especially from the women who even in their drunken state, still seemed to care somewhat. He always made up a story for them or didn't tell them at all. It wasn't their business anyways.

He tried to enjoy it- no. He _did_ enjoy it. If he thought he liked it he would eventually convince himself he was right. He was kissing the man back anyways. Giving the man equal amount and if not more than what the man was giving him. Rough hands traveled Barry's stomach and thighs slowly allowing the the sensation to heighten. His warm skin soaked in the sensation inch by inch from the man's fingers and his stomach tighten in disgust instead of pleasure. He broke the sloppy kiss and groaned in defeat but the stranger, too indulged in himself to care, took the groan as a good sign. The orgasm was a momentary relief to escape into pleasure but once Barry was done with his high, he waited out the man's orgasm which he felt didn't come soon enough.

_I fucking hate myself_

When the man was finished and got up to redress Barry laid on the bed unmoving but breathing deeply and relishing in his self hatred. He knew he was being used but never did anything about it because he was too weak.

**\---OVER---**

The man coughed to get Barry's attention snapping Barry out of his destructive thoughts.

"Thanks." The man mumbled and threw some folded up cash wrapped in a rubber band.

Barry's heart dropped when he saw the cash.

_He thought I was prostitute_

Propping himself on his elbows he stared at the man who just used him responding in a dry tone. "I'm not a prostitute so you can keep your damn money."

The man's face paled and even in his drunken state, he seemed to be able to connect the dots.  
He mumbled something inaudible and almost stumbled over his feet.

Barry took his gaze from the door and examined the dark bruises littered on his chest, torso, and thighs (He probably had some on his neck also). He reached down to snatch the money up and see how much he earned. Only $50. Rolled up in $10's and $5's with one $20 it made the folded cash seem more than it was.

 _Even cheap for a prostitute._ Was that how much he was worth?

He numbly fell back onto the bed deciding to just stay the night in the motel room. Alone. The room was too big but at the same time felt like it was containing Barry in a small box. He drifted off to sleep deciding whether to tell Iris about his speed or not.

\--

Barry woke up from a restless sleep and a probable nightmare. He forgot what he was dreaming about but he knew it was unsettling so he stretched out and felt rough and scratchy sheets remembering he wasn't in his room. Everything was coming back to him with a headache. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled exhausted wishing it was all just a nightmare.

He looked at the aged looking clock reading 1:20 am. Forcing himself out of the bed he walked to the bathroom to see mold and a cockroach but decided to take a shower anyways before going home.

 

 

Barry liked cold nights in the city. Not a lot of people were out and about and those who were didn't care about him and passed by like he didn't exist. With his hood up and hands in pockets he let his feet guide him. Left and right Barry walked the streets moping and wallowing in despair. He hated that he couldn't control his life or himself.

He stayed on the sidewalks illuminated by the occasional yellow glow of a street lamp kicking rocks whenever they appeared. Leaning his head back against his shoulders he felt the cold kiss his skin. He exhaled and watched a little cloud form and disintegrate. He always liked that about cold weather— being able to see his breath.

He passed a couple of late night lovers kissing in an alleyway.

_I wonder what it would be like to love someone like that._

  
His dad told him it was like drinking poison. A sweet, sweet poison.

  
He drifted back into memory when he was eleven and his mom was still in his life. He remembered hearing her crying in the bedroom and him walking down to ask his dad what was wrong. His dad was reading a paper and he was to scared to ask him.

_"Your mom is being a big baby again." His dad grumbled when Barry asked._

_"Why?"_

_"Because she's a bitch."_

_At eleven Barry was accustomed to every curse word in the book. "Why?"_

_"Listen Barry." Henry snapped and slammed the paper down on the table making Barry jump. "Don't ask questions. Just. Don't." Henry sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you. It's not your fault."_

_"Don't you love mom anymore?" Barry asked in a small voice._

_"I'm gonna give you advice kid. Love doesn't exist. It's not an emotion it's a poison- a drug. You drink it in and it's all bliss and you feel really happy. Then it expires and it shows you what it really is."_

_"That can't be true."_

_"Well it is. It's poison I'm tellin ya. It's a sweet, sweet poison."_

_"I-" Barry started when he felt a hand connect with his face roughly. His dad slapped him._

_"I'm sorry. Barry, don't tell your mom-" Henry started begging when Barry teared up (more from the emotional hurt than the physical). Barry walked away from his dad back into his room hearing his dad yelling at him._

  
Barry found himself back in the present and in a park with no inhabitants and the city sounds surrounding him. He sat on the soft wet grass not caring about the cold feeling and ran his hands over his face, through his hair, and back down to the grass trying to sort out his emotions. He felt scared, helpless, pathetic, used, confused, and his life was just one downhill spiral.

He wanted to cry so badly but he decided to spare what was left of his pride. He tried to think of other things Like _how to get his job back, Iris and Joe, his speed,_ but the sudden thought of his mom on top of everything else soon brought him to the edge and soon he fighting off tears— wiping them away before they fell. The swelling in his chest and his throat closing off made him shake a little but he just breathed in and out heavily. Every time he thought he was over his mood another wave would crash leaving him right back at square one.

He exhaled a shaky breath watching it cloud up in front of him. He continued to breath until he felt like crying no more when a hot flash hit him.

Literally hot. Barry felt like he just got shocked by a hot iron as beads of sweat formed on his forehead forcing him to remove his hoodie. His thin T-shirt was sticking to him with the layer of sweat which contrasted against the cool night air. He shivered from the contradicting elements and stood up walking again in hopes of cooling down.

A warm feeling started to grow in the center of his chest. He could feel a power growing inside of him with energy that coursed through his veins. He could feel the blood pulsing in his veins like someone was in there pounding rhythmically to be let out. The feeling in his chest radiated through his whole body causing him to yelp.

_Run_

It wasn't his voice that told him to so he forced it away. The more he tried to stop the sensation he started shaking and his senses became clearer than humanly possible. He couldn't breath properly but it wasn't from an anxiety attack. It was from the heightened sensitivity  
His eyesight became sharper than ever, he could feel the blood coursing through his veins and the wind hitting his skin and rolling off, and he could distinguish every single noise around him.

 _ **Run**_. The voice was more persistent.

Barry gave into the feeling and ran. He put on his jacket and faltered for a split second before one foot left the ground following his other. He ran three steps in normal speed before he was off.

The feeling was surreal. Barry ran left and right around the city feeling his feet barely touch the ground before bouncing off again. He felt the wind rushing past, the world slowing down and him speeding up, feeling like he finally had some control over what can happen, and a way for him to let out some pent up stress and anxiety. He ran from his problems and his current situation. He ran from the memories that haunted him— and for the first time in his 25 years of living, he felt like he could get away and win.

_It was euphoria._

_\---_

He didn't know how long he ran and he didn't care. All he knew was that he could enjoy this new found power. When he tired out he went back to the house and into his room. He was grinning like a mad man while feeling a rare emotion of excitement. He crept through the house remembering which floor boards creaked and which stairs to step over into his room. The door that used to squeak like hell opened silently.

 _Must have tightened the screws on this_. Barry thought turning around and stopping dead in his tracks.

"Woah, Iris what are you doing up?" Barry managed.

"I'm waiting for you." She sat up from her previous position looking stern.  
"Where were you?"

"Out." Barry replied walking slowly to the bed and sitting next to her.

"You were out drinking, weren't you?" She crossed her arms.

"Do I seem drunk." He retorted. He felt good and wasn't about to let her bring him down.

"Listen, I'm not going to scold you or tell on dad, but please don't go around drinking. You just got out of a coma." Iris begged. She unfolded her arms and rested them in her lap while playing with her fingers idly.

"I'm sorry I just- it's been a crazy day." Barry breathed in a shaky breath.

"You know you can trust me, right?" She looked down to see Barry playing with his sleeves.

"Yeah. Yeah I can." Barry managed to reply and clenched his fists with the ends of his sleeves in their grasp.

"How are you feeling?"

"I feel fine _now_." Barry emphasized now.

"Now?" She arched an eyebrow.

"I mean, earlier it was hard... But i'm better. I promise." Barry gave her a small confirming smile. He knew this mood wouldn't last long so he was going to try to hold onto it for as long as possible.

"What did Caitlin and Cisco have to say?"

"About..."

"Self care. I mean, you did just get out of a coma they had to tell you something like, drink lots of water, eat, stay off your feet."

"I actually left before they could tell me anything."

"Barry!" Iris raised her voice enough but kept it low so Joe wouldn't hear her.

"What? I'm sorry! I don't know what I was thinking!" Barry shot back going into defense mode.

"It's okay. Don't apologize." Iris responded quickly after seeing him jump. "Just promise me you'll go to them tomorrow."

"Sure." Barry shrugged agreeing less than half heartedly.

"Okay you better... I'm keeping you to that." She arched her eyebrow and smirked at him.

"i'm glad you're home. It's been lonely." Iris gave him a small smile before getting up and going to her room.

"Night." Barry said before she left.

"Night."

Barry dropped his back on the bed letting his legs dangle off the edge.

_I can do this_

Barry told himself as he drifted off to sleep. What he could do? He didn't know. He just knew he could.

\--

STAR Labs

Barry looked up at the big letters that were drilled into the side of the circular building. He ran there and even while standing, he was vibrating. He felt anxious while running in and it wasn't because of Caitlin or Cisco it was Dr. Wells. The man reminded him too much of his dad.

When Barry sped in he tried halting but the unfamiliar smooth ground made him skid to a stop and hit the wall.

"Holy shiiit!" Cisco exclaimed clenching his hair in surprise.

"Well look who arrived." Wells retorted dryly.

"Barry!" Caitlin exclaimed rushing over to help Barry who fell to the floor.

"Uh... Hey." Barry let out an awkward hand wave still on the floor. His upper arm hurt from the collision.

"What brings you here today Mr. Allen?" Wells asked unenthusiastically wheeling his wheelchair over to the computer desk.

"I just need to know what's going on with me." Barry could interact with these people. It was simple. He interacted a lot more with the people at the CCPD.

"Here, let me take blood samples and we can explain."

Barry didn't like needles. Hated them actually but he sucked it up as he watched his blood flow through the small tube.

"So you were struck by lightning and the force of the strike threw you into a bunch of chemicals in the lab. The amount of chemicals that entered your body... It should have killed you." Caitlin explained not looking up from the syringe she was holding.

"Then how am I not dead?"

"That's just it... The Lightning bolt that hit you wasn't from some random storm. You see, I don't know if you remember or not but the night you went- went into the coma. STAR labs was building something but it malfunctioned and... It exploded." she cut herself off and looked down. She furrowed her brows and sadness washed over her features.

The expression vanished just as quickly as it appeared as Caitlin flicked her head sideways slightly to remove some stray hair that fell in her face.

Barry had an idea that something bad happened but he side stepped it not really wanting to get personal.

To change subjects he asked the next thing on his mind. "Are there others like me?"

"There are others with powers! Not the same as yours." Cisco replied and Caitlin looked relieved to move the conversation on.

"So they got struck by lightning also?"

"No." Wells responded for Cisco. He was still giving Barry an icy glare as if Barry just killed his pet animal.

"You're actually the first nice meta we've met." Cisco blurted out.

Barry looked up in shock with that. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"A name Cisco came up with." Wells looked at Cisco like he was silently scolding a child.

 _Damn_ _this man has no emotion._

"I mean... the ones that appeared, they've all have a history of criminal violence and have only caused chaos. It'll be good to have you around." Caitlin shrugged.

"Again, what's that supposed to mean?"

"I think you could help us do a lot of good for this city. You can help us catch the bad guys and bring them in." Caitlin finished the syringe and took it to another room surrounded by glass.

Overwhelmed of the sudden possibility that he could save lives. So many people would want an ability like his but out of everyone in this city him, a forensic scientist, a nobody, was the one who developed the power to run.

"You'd be saving a lot of lives. We could also use the brain of a forensic scientist..." Caitlin explained.

"Dude it would be so cool to have you in our group." Cisco exclaimed excitedly.

Barry was seriously thinking about it. Control. He could help a lot of people. If he died it would be for a good cause and not because of alcohol poisoning or drug overdose. He looked at Wells deciding if he wanted to work with this man or not. He could learn to work with Cisco and Caitlin, they seemed nice enough but it was the elder man who gave him chills.

"I'll think about it." He faked a smile which grew sincere when he saw the excited faces of Cisco and Caitlin.

\--

 **2 weeks later**  
"So Felicity asked if I could go to Star City and help her run some tests..." Barry explained to Joe.

"Yeah? So what, you're gonna just go? You just got your job back at the CCPD!" He huffed in amusement.

"I'd be gone for three days. It won't be long." Barry explained sighing. It was pointless trying to talk to Joe sometimes.

"I thought you hated the city and didn't want to go back?"

"I don't! But it's only technically going to be for 2 days minus the time it takes on the train and I'm going there to help a scientist." Barry pointed.

"Is everything okay Barry? You've been acting strange." Joe narrowed his eyes using his detective instincts to read Barry.

"One, stop trying to read me. You know I hate that. Two, I'm fine actually. Really good."

Joe sighed in defeat. "You're lucky you're good at what you do and the department likes you." Joe pointed a finger and Barry who grinned in return.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Barry couldn't really deal with his powers but he came to terms with them. 
> 
> He is still going to have problems in the future though cause nothing gets resolved right away.
> 
> Un beta-ed (I honestly don't know what this means I think it means un edited or something?? Help)
> 
> Anyways, comments and kudos are nice, they keep me going. And thank you like always for keeping up with this story! It means a lot.


	13. 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not beta-ed... yet at least.

Oliver was in the hospital waiting room while waiting for Felicity to come back from the hospital room Barry was being held. He tapped his fingers idly on the wooden arm of his chair. Yes, he could call it his chair now since he's only been waiting for 30 minutes. There were men and women of all ages sitting restlessly occupying themselves with books or some electronic device. Him? He played a game his dad taught him when he was eight. He looked at certain people and quickly developed a story of their life creating it as crazy as he wanted. He grew out of a lot of childhood things, but that game always stuck with him for some reason.

 _Seriously, how long does it take to visit a sleeping man?_   Oliver thought. After he made stories up for the people he mentally left the hospital and went back to Starling. He thought of his current situation with his crazed back-from-the-dead friend he met on the island. That had some explaining to do. Luckily it was an optional choice for sharing and caring and Oliver chose not to share much to the annoyed looks from his friends.  He did share what the serum was that made the man resurrect and make him an undefeated killing machine. 

"I don't know why I'm here." Oliver mumbled to himself. He had more important matters at hand. Hell, he was waiting in a room 600 miles away from his city while city that was under the foot of a man who could destroy miles in days with only 30 men. 

He sighed.  

Oliver told himself it was the boredom that made him get out of the seat and talk to the nurse at the front. It was about Felicity that made him ask what room Allen was in. It wasn't because he was worried. It was just the hero in him made him want to know if an innocent(ish) civilian was okay. 

He put on his award-winning smile as he stepped with robotic movements as he approached the desk. His mind was elsewhere when the old woman at the desk asked for his need. She didn't look very impressed with him and he dropped the smile slowly becoming tenser as the seconds passed. 

"I was wondering what room Allen— uh, Barry Allen was staying?" Oliver asked with as much politeness he could muster up. He tried not to look like he was in a rush.

The woman took her time to look through the computer files. Oliver had a hunch she was going slow just because he annoyed her somehow and was trying not to fidget and show his restlessness. When she finally came to an answer he perked up a little too visibly. 

She looked at him and with a slow, nasally voice asked, "Bartholomew Allen?"

"... Yes." Oliver never thought about Barry being a nickname. Thank god he went by it too. What mother would be so cruel to name their kid Bartholomew.

"Room 310" she arched her eyebrow with disdain. 

"Thank you." Oliver nodded his head slightly before walking away. He could feel her beady eyes on his back as he walked away.

 

 

He opened the door to the room to find it abandoned. He studied the room layout subconsciously as he walked in just in case some maniac would pop out of the corner. 

_This is a hospital. No masked man is going to jump through this window._

Oliver still studied though. There were two worn looking chairs with an ugly tan floral pattern in the corner of the room adjacent to the bed Barry was laying in. Felicity's purse was carefully set in one of them indicating that she was in the room at some point. He stood in the middle of the room thinking of the comatose man and how oblivious he was to everything around him. Or was he? Oliver heard somewhere that people in comas actually understood what went on around them. 

He didn't care about Barry. He was just here for Felicity. 

Oliver looked around the room standing awkwardly with his hands in his pockets until deciding to look at Barry fully. He took a wooden chair that was hidden from his vision at first and pulled it over to sit down. Leaning his elbows on his knees he laced his fingers together and pressed his hands to his mouth listening to the sound of the heart monitor beep fast but steady. 

He wondered if Barry knew what happened to him. Did he know that he was struck by lightning and was probably not going to wake up? Did he-

"Oliver?" Felicity sounded surprised when she walked back in the room.

Oliver snapped his attention up to her and watched as she strode to the chair and pick up her belongings. 

"Yeah? I was just waiting for you." He gave her a small smile, but found himself looking back at Barry's almost lifeless body.

"Oh okay. Well ready to go?" She asked with a bounce walking over to the other side of the bed. She leaned down to kiss Barry's forehead lightly and sweep away a strand of his hair. 

Oliver looked at Barry one last time wondering if this was the last time he'd see the man's face before following Felicity out the door.

\-------------------

**9 and a half months later**

Oliver's week was shit to put it lightly. He got in a heated argument with Felicity about feelings (this is why he never talked about his feelings) which ended with them not talking to each other and no serious criminal came to town meaning Oliver didn't have much of an outlet. He was at his home getting ready for not one, but two parties. The first one was a sophisticated party with his mom and a bunch of her rich snobby friends for his mom's run for mayor, and the second was his friend Tommy's who was having a wild house party filed with drugs and alcohol just because he had to money to do so. Oliver felt too mature for that type of party since he came back from the island but after his mom's party, he didn't think that a couple shots wouldn't be too bad.

Thea and Oliver were in the living room sitting on the couch. Thea was dressed in a short, fitted black dress that outlined her body with a gold necklace that Oliver was helping hook together. Their mom entered the room to do some last minute check-ups before the guests arrived. 

"Okay so remember the rules." Moira looked at Thea specifically in passing. Oliver couldn't see her, but he was sure Thea rolled her eyes hard enough to dislodge them from their sockets. 

"Yes mom, because I'm _that_ stupid to forget." Thea sighed. Oliver could feel her tensing up from their mom's presence. 

"Thea..." Oliver warned under his breath. The last thing they needed was a family argument before a party.

"I'm not getting into this discussion with you right now." Moira treated her comment as if it was the end of the conversation and focused on a plant that didn't need attention. 

"Then stop treating me like I'm five." Thea shot back through gritted teeth and sat up.

"Just be polite." Moira reminded simply. She turned to leave the room when Thea mouthed off again. 

"Like I could be anything _else_ around your friends." Thea murmured loudly enough for her mom to hear. 

"God," Moira spun around. "Why can't you be more like your brother and just shut _up_?" She sounded exasperated and about to throw something.   

Oliver's shock wore away years ago from his mom's short fuse, but that didn't make it right. He saw Thea ball up her fists in anger as she stormed out of the room with her head held high. He looked at his mom feeling anger swelling in him as well, but as usual he kept it balled up inside of him. 

"She is much more mature than you see her." Oliver started.

"Shut up. I didn't ask your opinion." Moira snapped at him before sighing and running her hands over her face. "I'm sorry. Oliver, I hope you understand how much stress parties put on me. Especially since I'm running for Mayor now."

"I understand." Oliver walked over and put his hand on her should reassuringly. "You should tell Thea that though. She's the one having problems." He advised before exiting the room. Yeah, he was gonna need a lot of alcohol after this party.

Oliver held up his happy facade as the guests shuffled in until he saw Felicity walk arm in arm with nobody other than dear Barry himself. He had a polite smile in his face, but his eyes screamed for escape. Jealously flared up inside Oliver seeing Barry with Felicity. Oliver should have been the man Felicity was holding, not him.

"Hey! I didn't know he was in town?" Oliver walked up and asked Felicity ignoring Barry as best as he could. Which was mostly easy except Barry in a suit made him look hotter than Oliver would like to admit.

"I'm in for a couple of days. Oh, did she not tell you?" Barry's eyes lit up when he realized that Oliver didn't know. Physical looks aside, Oliver wanted to punch the man triggered by voice alone.

"You know what? I'm going to get some drinks, want some Barry?" Felicity smiled at him. He flashed her a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes as he answered and she was off.

As much as Oliver didn't want to initiate conversation, his manners switch was flipped on and he was curious to see how someone who just woke up was feeling. Plus, Barry was standing awkwardly like a lost puppy looking all directions for an escape. In addition he was also playing with his cuff sleeves like always.

"You look like you don't want to be here."Oliver fell flat at a smooth conversation starter. Even to him he didn't sound interesting.

"Yeah well... I don't, but I'm not here for a party." Barry sounded monotone and bored. He didn't even bother looking in Oliver's direction. Luckily, Felicity walked back with three wine glasses and initiated conversation for all three of them.

"So Barry here woke up from his coma a couple weeks ago. Miracle if you ask me." Felicity chuckled and made both of the men's brains to become self aware of the conversation. 

"Yeah and I heard you visited me," Barry looked at Oliver with narrow eyes while taking a sip of wine. "Why?" 

"I was with Felicity." If Barry was going to act hostile, then Oliver wouldn't force himself to be polite either.

"He was sitting beside your bed too." Felicity laughed awkwardly.

"Creep." Barry had a ghost of a smile on his lips. Oliver found himself staring at those lips before realizing what he was doing.  

"So I heard that there are some crazy unexplained things going around your city?" Oliver switched conversation to something he felt would be more useful to him.

"Yeah. Crazy stuff..." Barry looked like he wasn't fully in the conversation.

"Yeah I heard that there is this streak of lightning that goes around the city and catches criminals?" Oliver pressed holding his glass tightly to keep himself level headed. That caught Barry's attention.

"Oh yeah. He hasn't caught that many criminals... just some minor ones." Barry shrugged. The only interest he showed in the topic was the way he almost choked on his sip of the wine and the life that subtly appeared in his dull eyes. 

"How do you know the lightning bolt is a he?" Oliver interrogated. He secretly was intrigued with the idea that people could defy the laws of physics. 

"I work in the police department... obviously, and some guy knows him I guess. Calls the thing a he so I'm guessing it's a he." Barry sounded too guarded leading Oliver to believe that he knew more than he let on.

"So what is he, a person who just travels in the form of a lightning bolt?" Felicity asked visibly interested.

"No actually... he just runs really quickly. Can't explain the lightning though..." Barry trailed off looking behind Oliver with wide eyes. Oliver looked behind him to see Henry Allen enter the front door with a huge smile and shake hands with the men around him. Oliver didn't understand why Barry didn't go greet him but that was none of his business.

Oliver tried to pry more information from Barry but failed. He attempted to ignore how Felicity would grab onto Barry or laugh too hard at a lame science joke. The only thing that kept Oliver from making a scene was the knowledge that she was using the scientist to get back at him. She finally pulled Barry aside to introduce him to Laurel and Oliver thankfully went off to host the other older guests. He saw Thea initiating conversation with a smile so fake it looked like she was a doll with that expression plastered on her face. Only he and Moira could tell that she was unhappy; She was that good of an actress.

Oliver really did pity her. She didn't deserve the butt of their mom's wrath and he knew from personal experience that his sister will do something stupid if she hasn't already. A half hour passed and the room was crowded. Oliver felt like a stranger surrounded by people he barely knew. His friends left at different intervals all saying their goodbyes before leaving. Felicity was still there talking to some technology geniuses, but he knew she wouldn't talk to him. Oliver was just glad Barry was gone and out of the picture for now. Thea wasn't in sight so he assumed that she left or was in her room. 

He had to go to the "bathroom" to get out of agonizing small talk. He hastened upstairs and down the familiar halls feeling the need to talk to her about their mom. Without knocking he opened the door to see to his horror Barry and Thea making out on her bed. He was greeted with the sight of his baby sister straddling a thankfully clothed Barry who was attempting to remove her dress. They broke their greedy kiss when they heard the door open and looked at him with equal shock.

"THEA!" Oliver yelled scaring both of them. He felt his pent up anger seeping through and didn't even care about letting it out. He felt his body heat up from the anger. 

Thea scrambled off in embarrassment trying to compose herself as Barry jumped off the bed with surprising speed. He shouldn't have been mad about his sister making out. He made out all the time with both genders before the island. Except this time was an exception. 

"Thea, excuse us for a second." Oliver growled not taking his eyes off Barry.

"You do this all the time. I caught you too." Thea growled back before storming out of the room.

Barry walked up and had the nerve to try to pass him too. Oliver had a flashback to high-school of throwing Barry against the bathroom stalls when he grabbed the collar of Barry's shirt, flipping him around and pinning him to the door hard enough to make it slam. 

_Hopefully the people downstairs didn't hear that._

"What are you gonna do? Punch me?" Barry challenged with a sneer. 

"I'm tempted, but no." Oliver didn't let up the grip. "Stay away from my sister, and get out of my house." He warned in a deadly serious tone.

"With pleasure. See you tonight." Barry mocked, but still almost ran out the door.

Oliver didn't understand that last part of the sentence until later when he saw with Barry again at Tommy's party only this time Barry was kissing another pair of lips that belonged to a man. He hated how bold Barry was when it came to things like that too. 

\--------

Oliver knew he was drinking too much, but honestly he felt like he deserved it. Him, Tommy, and a bunch of random people were gathered into a group laughing and spouting off the random shit that came to their drunken heads. Oliver suddenly felt sick and needed to vomit. He stumbled in an uneven line almost falling multiple times hoping he was heading in the direction to the bathroom, but found himself in the hands of a very seductive woman. His brain slurred her words together as well as his, and he didn't know what was happening. He felt lips on his as he melted into the touch and dominated the act of intimacy. The thought of Felicity is what broke him from the heated kiss feeling like he was betraying her in a way. Her face burned through any alcoholic slump bringing Oliver back from the blissful distraction. 

"I canpht..." Oliver tripped on his tongue slurring his words. She was persistent though, touchy and very kissable. Oliver's alcoholic brain told him he was getting nowhere with Felicity and the thought made him sad and vulnerable. He felt her grab onto the front of his T-shirt and lead him to a vacant room when she disconnected from him and left. He felt a fist grab onto the back of his shirt and lead him upstairs to a bathroom. He'd have to thank Tommy later. 

They barely got to the toilet when he started vomiting. He looked to the side and saw black converse connected to long legs that were connected to a body leaning against the wall patiently. He couldn't comprehend correctly since eyes only got up to the crotch area before he turned his attention back to the toilet and threw up some more. When he finished he was taken to a bed and thrown onto it. 

He forgot everything after that and woke up the next morning sprawled out on a bed alone. His head felt like a grandfather clock was eternally ringing inside and hitting its pendulum against the walls of his skull. Because of the nauseous feeling he felt shaky and sweaty. He lacked any sheets and realized the cause of that was because there were none on the bed. He must have slept with someone last night because the covers were on the edge as if someone fell off the bed. 

He rolled over feeling his T-shirt sticking to his body to see another body mostly covered by sheets with the exception of the back showing. The back was pretty scarred up Oliver noticed, but it was still a pretty back. He looked at he face and froze. Barry was laying on the floor curled up and shirtless, and looking pretty damn comfy. Oliver had a notion to yell and demand answers, but he hurt too much in the head to move or speak. Instead he settled on examining Barry's back. He's seen plenty of wounds and the scars that they left, and by the look of the nasty lines with no specific pattern he came to the conclusion that they were made in haste and anger. Other than that Oliver couldn't help deny that he had a nice looking back and found himself counting the freckles and moles on the pale skin. The only warning Oliver got to turn around was a slight stir from Barry. He didn't pretend to be asleep he just pretended to wallow in self pity on the bed. 

Oliver could hear Barry moving on the ground and make a baby dinosaur noise as he stretched. When Oliver heard the other man stand up he dared to look and to his thankfulness saw that Barry was fully clothed including his shirt. 

"What happened last night?" Oliver asked. He was too tired to argue and by the looks of Barry, he was too.

"Well you kissed me. Should I start there?" Barry frowned and arched an eyebrow.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I can't believe that this has gotten 157 kudos already like, wow. I'm aiming for 200 now I guess? Not sure how that'll happen but hopefully!  
> I realized last chapter that this was actually going to become a serious story so I had to create actual story arcs.   
> Anyways, kudos and comments, good or bad keep me going.   
> Thanks!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, a BIG thanks to AbsoluteGODofHyperactivity for helping me edit this chapter!  
> Hope you enjoy this chapter

The second party wasn’t bad.

Barry made out with a couple pair of nice lips, but would have rather kissed a glass alcohol instead. The smell was everywhere, and when he looked at all the bottles the glass seemed to mock him.

Because he had nothing better to do, he kept his eye on Oliver (from curiosity more than anything). He watched the other man get drunker by the minute until he could barely stand. Then he saw some girl try to go down on him.

Barry rolled his eyes. Of course the girls would go down on him. They'd practically throw themselves at his feet because of his status. It was like that in high school and it was no different now.

Except it was, in a way.

Instead of seducing the woman with loud words and sensual touches, Barry saw Oliver attempt to push the woman away. The woman was forcing herself on him and soon got him into a back room and out of sight. Rolling his eyes he walked in their direction and pulled the woman off of Oliver.

Barry tried to be nice, but it never seemed to work out in his favor. (He decided a long time ago that was why he was an asshole most time.) Looking at the other man, Barry could tell he was about to vomit. With the help of the Tommy guy, he made way to the upstairs bathroom where they wouldn’t attract attention.

The trip to the bathroom was like pulling a rag doll with 50 pound weights on each leg. Once in awhile, Barry would "accidentally" lose his grip and cause Oliver to crash to the floor with a loud thud. By the time they reached the bathroom he felt himself coated in sweat.

God, it's hot up here, Barry thought while leaning against the wall. He fanned his shirt to try to cool down. Seriously, do they not air condition in this house?

While Oliver was vomiting Barry tried not to notice his biceps. It was nearly impossible not to though, seeing as they were huge and very defined and very impressive.

Barry guessed it was the five years on an island or whatever that got him that toned. They were at least twice the size of his own arms even after the accelerator gave him a more defined body. He wasn't going to complain though; at least he had muscle.  
When Oliver was surely finished vomiting, he tried to stand, but staggered and was about to fall backwards. Knowing that Oliver was too drunk to comprehend anything, Barry used his speed and caught Oliver from behind before his head hit the corner of the sink counter.

Oliver was muttering a string of broken "Thanks", "Tommy", and "I can do it myself" as he clutched Barry's arms like life support. Barry could feel Oliver's toned and muscular body press against his own and his forehead rest against his shoulder. If Oliver suddenly became sober, Barry wasn't sure he'd be alive to see the next morning. It was awkward helping Oliver with their history and all, but he put most of his childhood hate for Oliver past him a long time ago. Childhood vendettas were petty to bring into adulthood. There was something else though that Oliver seemingly hated Barry for, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was.

Barry was walking backwards to straighten Oliver's footsteps, guiding him by his arms. Juggling between keeping Oliver upright and looking down to make sure he wasn’t going to trip, Barry found the simple task much more difficult than it needed to be. Oliver groaned when Barry "accidentally" slid his hands up Oliver's biceps, (It was to get a better grip, of course), and started whispering sweet nothings in his ear. Barry stopped himself from rolling his eyes, realizing he really shouldn't be judging. He probably acted this way a couple times in his life while being drunk off his ass.

When they made it to the bed, Barry turned and shoved Oliver down onto the mattress. The annoyed growl was expected. Oliver grabbing Barry's T-shirt in his fists and pulling him down with him was not.

If Barry didn't catch himself with both hands beside Oliver's head, he was pretty sure he would have banged heads and given them both concussions. It didn't help that the room temperature seemed to rise as the two stared at each other, their bodies pressed together creating more heat than needed. Barry was about to get up when Oliver grabbed him by his chin, pulling him down for a kiss and meeting him in the middle with an unexpected kiss.

Barry's eyes felt like they'd pop out of his head. The kiss was rough and messy and a little gross, since Oliver smelled like booze and couldn't keep his mouth on Barry's lips, but it was a kiss all the same. Barry found himself leaning into the kiss before remembering who he was kissing. He pulled back suddenly with a horrified expression.

"Fuck," Barry groaned.

Awkwardly, he laid Oliver on his side and was about to leave when he heard the word “Stay”.

“What?”

“I… I want you to stay… here.” Oliver slurred half asleep.

  
Barry looked back and forth from the door and the bed. The image of Oliver sprawled out and coated in sweat disgusted Barry, but he headed back to the bed anyways. This was a really bad idea, but he reasoned that he should probably stay just in case Oliver needed help in the morning.

Barry kicked his shoes off and crawled into bed on the other side, listening to Oliver's ragged breathing slow into a slow, heavy breathing. Finally, he was asleep, allowing Barry to feel more comfortable. It wasn't about sleeping in a stranger’s bed, (he'd done that too many times to count), but it was the fact that he was sleeping next to his rival (if he could call Oliver that anymore). He fell asleep soon afterwards too tired to think on it. He'd handle it in the morning.

Sometime in the night, he fell off the bed wrapped in covers. Oh well, he wasn't about to get up. Barry coughed a couple times, and in his sleep deprived mind he took off his shirt and wrapped himself up in the blankets, more for a sense of security than anything. He woke up in the morning covered in a layer of sweat. One glance at the rug brought on the realization that he wasn't in his hotel room, and shit... Barry leaned back on his elbows looking around at his surroundings. Memories from the previous night rolled in, and if they were accurate, Oliver was in the bed.

Damn, he was stupid. He took off his shirt without thinking, and risked exposing his scars in front of Oliver. Barry moved from his curled up position and stretched out, hearing an embarrassing squeak emit from his throat. Thankfully, Oliver was asleep. He put his shirt back on quickly and stood up.

"What happened last night?" Oliver asked. Barry jumped and looked at Oliver who looked like royal shit.

Barry mulled the decision to tell Oliver about the kiss in his head. He didn’t know if he wanted to poke the fire and see how hot it got, or just let it be and leave. He chose the first.

"Well, you kissed me. Should I start there?" Barry frowned and arched an eyebrow. Now was the time to tell Oliver, since he was immobile.

"What?" Oliver looked confused and then angry. He sat up and groaned, falling back onto the pillow.

Barry ignored Oliver and sat down on the edge of the bed with his back facing Oliver. Taking his shoes in hand, he tried untying the shoelaces taking his precious time in silence. He wasn't feeling the chit-chat so he was going to make this easy for Oliver and for his own personal amusement.

" I... kissed you?" Oliver furrowed his brows and frowned. He managed to sit up somewhat straight and leaned against the headboard for support.

"Mhm." Barry didn't look up from his shoelace that was quickly becoming too difficult to untie.

_Fuck double knots_

"What happened," Oliver demanded, trying and succeeding in sitting up.

"You got drunk, you kissed a girl, you vomited, you kissed me, then fell asleep on the bed." Barry barely glanced over his shoulder, his voice stony and distant.

"You're still here though," Oliver stated, arching an eyebrow.

"Mhm. Your lonely drunk ass asked me to stay."

"Why." It wasn't a question and god, Barry hated how Oliver demanded answers instead of asked for them.

"Ask instead of demand and then maybe I'll answer." He finally got his shoes untied and slipped one of them on.

"Okay then, why would I ask a whore like you to sleep with me?" Oliver jabbed, then looked surprised and slightly guilty that he said that.

Barry didn't feel angry immediately, but he definitely felt his body warm up and tense. He remembered all the times he slept with people who thought he was a whore and paid him off. Technically Oliver wasn't wrong, but it still didn't keep the anger boiling in his stomach down.

"You know what?" Barry started, throwing his other shoe on the ground. That was all he could do physically at the moment to let out some frustration. "I am a whore. I'm also an asshole, but at least I don't pretend to be someone I'm not. At least I'm not a fucking playboy millionaire who hides behind his mom's fame. At least I don't use my money as a mask to pretend to be someone I'm not. At least I can be who I _want_ to be." Barry was practically shouting by the time he finished.

He picked up his Converse and stuffed his foot in the shoe with shaking __hands.

As he stormed out the door he swore he could have heard Oliver mumble something. He stopped dead in his tracks and turned back around.

"Did you say something?" Barry asked accusingly.

Oliver visibly swallowed (Barry hoped it was his pride) and cleared his throat. "I said, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that and... you're right. About all of that. I don't know why you would help me."

Barry shrugged and lied, "I don't know either."

He knew. He had been in the same position many times when he was too drunk to say no and instead woke up feeling like shit. Even though it was Oliver, he didn't think it was right for anyone to take advantage of anyone.  
\---------  
Barry was back at STAR Labs a day later running on Cisco's redesigned treadmill for more tests. From Well's commentary, he had improved his speed since he started “training”. Barry bet it was because the anger Oliver's words had created that fueled him.Because of Oliver, he spent his whole high school life learning to ignore the jabs and negative remarks thrown his way. So why was he getting so pissed off by this?

  
He felt like a lab rat with everything the three scientists were doing to him. they always wanted tests, DNA samples, and more tests from him. He wondered if the only reason they really kept him around was for the sake of science. Yeah Cisco and Caitlin had started to grow on him, but he always had that nagging feeling of doubt that they secretly hated him.

  
Today, when Cisco, Wells, and Caitlin greeted him Barry knew there was something special going on. Whether or not it was a good or bad something was to still be determined.  
Cisco brought out the "surprise" and revealed it to be a full body red suit specialized for Barry's powers.

  
"Oh wow um... I don't know what to say." Barry looked at the red suit uncomfortably. It was well made (he had to give Cisco that), but it was tight and already looked like it would hug his body.

  
"It's okay dude. Okay, so this emblem here helps me..." Cisco explained the gadgets excitedly, but at some point he stopped listening, and Barry couldn't help but let his mind wander.

  
He really did appreciate the suit overall. He tried to sound thankful, but his words came out dry, making him sound like he didn't care for it at all. Which wasn't how he was feeling. He knew what happened next. He was going to end up on the streets catching criminals for a living instead of just here and there.

  
"Listen," Barry stated, cutting Cisco off when the engineer started verbalizing the idea of catching criminals. "I know how superheros work. They're nobodies with a tragic backstory, and then they somehow magically get powers, and then then they get a suit which then leads them to fight crime. Then this random big bad will appear and they'll have to face their fears and then bam, they become the city’s hero." Barry sounded as if he was rehearsing lines he didn't want to say.

"That doesn't sound fun to you?" Caitlin asked. "The crime fighting, I mean..."

"No, it doesn't. I just want to be Barry. Is that too much to ask?" Barry sat down on the hospital bed. God, he was being an asshole about this. "I mean, I like the suit and all, but I don't want to fight crime. I'm not good enough for that."

"That's why you train," Wells replied, passed off Barry's comment like it didn't matter.

"So what am I going to do then, huh? Just train to get faster and faster and catch criminals on the side until I die?" Barry snapped at Wells.

"Dude... what happened in Starling?" Cisco asked warily.

"I don't want to talk about it."

“Whether or not you want to help others, you’re going to end up helping. With your speed you can become a hero. You can be someone memorable,” Wells said. Barry felt like Wells was trying to be supportive, but instead he came off as judgmental.

“No,” Barry replied simply to all of them and got up. “I don’t want this. Thanks for the suit Cisco, but I’m out.” Raising his hands out to the side, he watched their faces fall and turned to leave.

He spent three days without using his speed. He was learning to live with the pain of containing the speed force or whatever Wells called it when danger popped up a block from his appartment.

Looking outside his window, Barry saw his first “ meta human,” as Cisco called them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since school has started I will be lucky to post 3x a month, but I'll try for 2. I used to never post on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights, but I feel like I am going to post only on those nights. Really, whenever I can, but look for chapters mostly on those days. 
> 
> I'm also dropping the Barry, Oliver, Barry, Oliver etc. chapter pattern. I want to focus more on Barry, but we will still see a lot of Oliver's POV. 
> 
> Aaaaaand Barry will fight his first meta in the next chapter! AND The Flash and Arrow will meet!
> 
> If you have any questions about the story or chapter in general. Or character and really anything, comment and I'll answer to the best of my ability! Thanks guys!
> 
> Kudos and comments are nice, they keep me going


	15. Barry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A meta human attacks, and Barry has a life altering decision to make

" Fuck me. " Barry muttered as he saw the streets down below become enveloped in a thick dust. He heard more than saw the people below screaming and cars crashing into each other. He backed up from the window as if he’d be safe if he couldn’t be seen, but fell when a sudden sharp jolt shook the apartment building followed by the whole street shaking and buildings falling. In sheer panic, he ran without thinking out of his apartment into the chaos below. He could barely see five feet in front of him. On the streets he could practically feel the panic of the people around him, maybe more than he felt panic in himself.

His ears rung as the car sirens, screaming, and buildings falling mixed together into a static noise. Snapping out of his daze, a morbid curiosity overtook him as he walked in the direction that people were running from. He coughed and choked on the density of the dust, but trudged on, squinting his eyes.

Whoever was causing this was a metahuman, he assumed that immediately. He had gone up against a couple minor criminals, but that had been easy. He had the power to stop them before they could cause him any harm (which was honestly therapeutic in a way), but this was a whole new level.

An image of Joe going up against this meta and failing flashed through his mind giving him a motive to walk faster. Barry could deny his powers all he wanted, but he knew he was probably one of the best bets to stop this meta. He would at least have his powers to his advantage.

Almost jogging through the crowd he realized the fog clearing up as he got closer to the eye of the storm. He halted in his tracks when he came within a 10-foot diameter of clearing to where this man was. The man himself was at least 6’3” with neck length dirty blond hair and a beard. He was muscular, wearing some worn and ragged clothes as if he dug them out of the trash— which was a possibility. His hands were out to his side, raising them to create the earthquake.

The ground beneath his feet now felt like it was rocking. Amongst the chaos, buildings were crumbling, and out of the corner of his eye, Barry noticed a small girl who could be no older than 20 hiding behind some rubble staring at them with wide eyes. Police sirens were head as the fog began to dissipate and policemen filed in, guns ready. Joe was in the front.

Barry knew that the police wouldn’t be able to do anything, but he was clueless about how to stop this man. He found himself distracted, and in a blink of an eye he was tossed backwards. His back collided with the hard ground, and the rumbling halted for a moment before stalagmites started shooting out of the ground at all angles. He used his speed in just the nick of time. He glanced at where he had just been, the spot pierced with stalagmites.

He heard the girl scream as the building she was pressed up against started crumbling. His protective instinct kicked in and he ran to save her. Time slowed down like it always did, the chunks of building falling in slow motion and the sound of the chaos sounded like a song that’s speed was slowed by 50%. Experimentally, he waved his hand in front of his face and could literally see the dust almost mesmerizingly roll away like waves. He grabbed the girl by the waist and carried her to safety.

Time sped up again and every sense hit him like a truck. The immediate change always made his chest hurt and his senses overload to the point of almost throwing up.

He watched as the police started shooting, but the meta enveloped himself in a mixture of gravel and dirt, making the bullets bounced harmlessly off of the protective barrier. When the men stopped shooting, the meta brought his barrier down and started aiming the debris towards the cars.

Time didn’t slow down, but it felt like it as Barry watched a sharp piece of rock at least the size of a baseball flying straight towards Joe in slow motion. In a millisecond Barry was running, having only that millisecond to decide whether to push Joe out of the way or attempt to stop the flying object instead.

He grabbed the rock, wincing as the sharp edges cut into his hand and threw it, preferably in the direction of the meta. He felt the ground stop trembling when he saw the rock had grazed the man on the arm. Barry ran behind a corner so the police and Joe wouldn’t see him, and made eye contact with the man. A silent expression crossed the meta’s face when he realized he wasn’t the only one with powers on the block.

Barry wanted to punch the man. He had the chance, but from past experiences, he knew never to initiate the fight. Let the person come at him first. Surprisingly the man backed off.

“I’m not done with you.” He looked Barry dead in the eyes with a grin on his face.

When everything was over, Barry went back to his apartment to see if it was okay (it wasn’t), and cleaned and bandaged up his hand before receiving a call from the CCPD.

 

While he examined a couple bodies that were impaled by the stalagmites, he heard murmurs about a yellow streak and how he “sacred off the man” and even about the girl he saved. He smiled mentally to himself, but kept his imagination in check. He wasn’t a hero and never would be. This was just a once in awhile thing.

After he finished collecting samples and was on his way out of the scene, he went to see how Joe was and heard even more about The Streak. He felt a little proud, but that was pushed aside when Joe asked about his bandaged hand. He lied through his teeth and got out of the situation as quickly as possible.

He went to the top of a city building and lit a cigarette. Technically he wasn’t supposed to be up there, but his acquired pick pocketing skills allowed him to sneak through the small door that led out to the top.

The day was ending, so he sat on the ground and watched as the sun set and the city lights turned on. As he drew in his first breath, the familiar burn and smell comforted and calmed him.

After Barry calmed down a little he thought of what to do with the information about the meta. He knew he had the physical abilities to stop him, but he didn’t have the mental strength. STAR Labs had handled meta humans before, they could do it… but there was a tugging in his stomach that told him to help. On a whim he put out his fifth cigarette and ran off to STAR Labs as quickly as he could.

When Barry arrived, Caitlin was gone and Cisco was downstairs working on something in the pipes. Barry didn’t know what and didn’t care, but knowing he wasn’t allowed did spike his interest. He’d have to sneak in and investigate that area some other time.

\---

“You’re back sooner than I thought.” Wells looked at Barry with a side glance as he worked on a chemical in the labs. “Why?”

“Why do you think?” Barry shot back defensively.

“I’m not going to treat you like a child, but you need to stop acting like one.” Wells’s annoyance was obvious.

“I’m-” Barry bit back a childish reply. “Fine. Some meta or whatever you call them obliterated the street I live on. He could control the ground and shit…” He crossed his arms and legs leaning against the wall closing in on himself. “You probably already knew that though.”

To distract the obvious tension, he closed his wounded hand into a fist and dug his nails into the cuts focusing on the pain instead. Wells rolled out of the lab area, but still maintained a respectful distance away.

“What did you do?” Wells’ asked in his steely voice glancing at the bloodied fist for the first time.

“Uh…” Barry bit his lip nervously. His discomfort level was spiking and his mouth became too dry to talk. He didn’t exactly feel like explaining to a stranger about his failures.

“If you have nothing to say, you can leave. I have work to do.”

“Nothing. I did nothing.”

“Then why is your hand bandaged.”

“I…”

“Stop trailing off. It’s annoying. If you have something to say, think about it before you say it.” Wells said without malice.

Barry looked at Wells for the first time since their conversation had started. “You remind me so much of my dad.”

“Is that a good or bad thing?”

“I don’t know,” Barry lied. It was definitely a bad thing.

“I’m going to ask again, and you’re going to answer without trailing off this time. Okay?” Wells instructed. “What happened to your hand?”

Barry felt rushed and couldn’t think clearly. He didn’t want to lean on the wall like an idiot with one of the most brilliant scientists sitting across the room from him. He blurted out the sentence that made the most sense to him in his head. “I used my powers to stop a sharp rock from hurting Joe.”

“That wasn’t too hard now, was it?”

“You wouldn’t know,” Barry mumbled to the floor.

“Are you okay?”

“Why the concern? I mean-” nothing to you .

Wells scoffed as if he knew what Barry was going to say, but never answered. “You’ll heal on your own, but you should probably clean the wound. We don’t know yet if your body can defeat infections.”

“I’m going home.” Barry started towards the door. He had notified them about the meta. His job was done. He did feel a little victory from saving the girl though. It made him momentarily feel like his life wasn’t worthless.

“Where?” Wells asked.

Barry remembered that he didn’t have a home to go back to. His apartment was gone. He breathed in deeply to keep a sudden tidal waves of loss flood him and clenched his fists to keep from shaking.

“Why did you come here, Barry.” Wells sounded more fatherly-stern than icy-stern like it was before.

Barry stood still and closed his eyes waiting for the worst when heard the wheelchair spin. He didn’t have to see to feel the eyes boring holes into his back.

“I don’t know. I didn’t know- I don’t- It’s- I’m-” Barry started rambling. He forced himself to build his walls up higher before he poured out his unknown feelings towards this man who’d probably judge him forever.

“Did you want to help stop the man? Was it about the detective? Or did you feel like your life is worth something more when you saved that girl off the street.”

“I- wait, how…?

“On the news. Many people witnessed the ‘yellow streak during the occurrences.”

Barry stayed silent, in case he said something he didn’t want to say.

“Do you want to help us catch this man? Others like him? Do you want to be the hero.”

“I’ll… I’ll think about it.” Barry looked away, hating how this man- this stranger acted like he knew him, but fascinated at the same time.

\----

He took his time returning to the West’s residence, thinking of ways to ask Joe if he could live with them again without hurting his pride too much and the sort-of offer Wells had given him. He really did want to help, he did, but he knew he wouldn’t be good and would just end up being a setback. When he walked, in Iris was sitting on the couch biting her nails and watching the news.

“Barry! Where the hell have you been?” Iris exclaimed, relief washing over her face. “I’ve been so worried about you! Why didn’t you answer my texts?” Iris practically ran to hug him.

“I’m sorry, I just uh… got caught up in the chaos and then I had forensic work and my apartment…” Barry stopped himself before he mentioned STAR Labs which brought him to the idea to tell Iris about his powers.

“What aren’t you telling me?” Iris asked crossing her arms like she always did when she was demanding an answer.

“Why do you think I’m hiding something?” Barry asked with a ghost of a smile on his face, hoping he could BS his way out of the situation.

“I’ve been friends with you for 19 years. We’ve gone through everything, good and bad together, and I know when you’re hiding something. You can trust me.”

“I know, I know. You’re the only person I can trust, it’s just… I don’t know if I can say.” Barry averted his gaze once again. “And I know you can keep a secret I just don’t know if I can tell you without you being scared off.”

“You can’t scare me off.” Iris uncrossed her arms and sat both of them down. “I don’t want to push you either, so if you don’t want to say, you don’t have too. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have come off so harshly. We can talk about something else if you want."

Barry hadn’t had a secret this big to tell Iris for a long time. He only felt this nervous and scared she’d see him as a freak twice during their friendship. The first time was when he confessed his family life when they were 14, and that he liked men when he was 16. The kindness and understanding in her eyes made him love her even more than he already did.

“Did Dad talk to you about the streak?” Iris asked the same time that Barry answered over her.

“I’m that streak people are talking about!” Barry practically shouted as he tore at his sleeves.

Iris looked at him like he just hit her in the forehead with a stone.

“Weird things have just been… happening since the coma. I gained these powers and I don’t know what to do. I can’t explain it- please don’t think I’m a freak or something, I can prove it. I’m not lying- I don’t- nobody knows except for the people at STAR Labs and you- don’t think I don’t trust you because I do I just don’t know what to do with this and I guess I’m scared and confused and I don’t know what to do and I’m sorry I should have told you sooner and-” Barry started rambling from panic when he was cut off by Iris. He took a deep breath from holding the previous one for so long.

“Barry! Okay for one, don’t ever think I’ll see you as a freak. Two… you have powers? That’s scientifically impossible.” She looked at him like she was trying to understand, but couldn’t.

He held up his hand and focused all his energy on vibrating only that area. Her eyes widened in shock and disbelief.

“Well, what are you going to do?” Iris asked looking him dead in the eyes.

\---

Five days later

After explaining everything to Iris, she turned out to help a lot with Barry’s self-esteem, and urged him to work with STAR Labs. It was a long conversation, but eventually Barry caved with all the pro’s she was throwing out.

Caitlin dug up information on the meta and marked him as Clyde Mardon, a robber and murderer who had broken out of prison a while ago. He seemed to be leaving Central City, making messes as his trail went North. His older brother, Mark, was located somewhere in Starling which made the group assume he was meeting up with his brother somewhere there or in the middle.

Barry heard something on the news about the Arrow facing his most difficult challenge yet. A man who could control the weather. It made sense and he was a little glad that the Arrow would be taking care of the men instead of him. Still... the Arrow going against two super-powered people would be a near impossible challenge and he just might need help.

“So you think the Arrow has it under control?” Caitlin asked nobody in particular as she was going through some notebook of chemicals.

“Maybe I should help?” Barry was almost embarrassed to share his idea. He was in a room full of highly intellectual people and he was new and already suggesting working with a highly skilled vigilante.

“Explain,” Wells urged him on.

“I mean, yeah the Arrow can kick ass, but I at least have half the power to stop the guys... and I don't really know.” Barry shrugged when Cisco gave him an odd look.

“No no, I like that.” Cisco nodded his head.

"You think you can handle two meta's at once though?"

Barry almost laughed, "Hell no. You kidding me? I don't know what I'm suggesting."

"This is your city Barry, if they're going to Starling, that is the Arrow and his team's problem. Not ours. You're not trained at all for going against metas yet. Stick to what you're doing now, and in the future when another meta comes this way then I might let you off on him." Wells grounded.

"Why do you think you can act like a parental figure to me?" Barry asked narrowing his eyes.

"He just wants to make sure you're safe. We all do." Caitlin explained.

"Yeah, whatever." Barry grumbled and walked out. He could take the easy way out and let the Arrow go at it alone, but Barry knew what he had to do. It just depended on if he had the mental strength.

\---

 

Starling City

“Oliver?” Felicity sounded frantic over the comms, "What's going on? Talk to me!"

“Mardon's brother arrived and just took down a whole block in the Glades!” Oliver responded hastily as he pushed a man in the direction out of harms way. "He can control the ground or shit."

"That makes sense though.. Mark can control the weather and Clyde controls the earth? Tha-"

"Felicity, focus!" Oliver yelled more to keep him focused than for her. He ducked behind a sturdy pile of rubble pulling out one of his last arrows aiming it at Clyde, who was using wind to blow over the weak buildings.

"Yeah sorry," Felicity sounded sincere, "So is it just one of them?"

"Yes." Oliver responded taking a deep breath as he notched the arrow and jumped up ready to shoot when a streak of lightning flashed in knocking Clyde out.

 

In the place where the lightning disappeared was a man clad in red. The man turned his head quickly and blurred his image. Oliver swore he was seeing things now until the man talked to him in a deep, vibrating voice.

"So... I see you need help?"

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter, they finally met! I'm excited to write their interactions as hero's.
> 
> Anyways, kudos and comments are nice, they keep me going and make my day a little better :)
> 
> Thanks!


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry and The Arrow meet

Barry should have known that the Arrow's first instinct was to shoot at him. He grabbed the arrows as they flew past his head and raised his hands in the air realizing how stupid his idea was.

"Wait! I'm trying to help!" Barry vibrated his voice to hide his identity, but the panic was still clearly heard.

"Who are you?" The Arrow demanded.

"I'm uh..." Barry didn't know how to answer.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you." The Arrow growled.

Barry looked around helplessly, seeing one of the brothers knocked out on the ground but gaining consciousness, "I'm here to help take down the Mardon brothers." To show he meant no harm, he dropped the arrows to the ground, letting them clatter against the dirty and damp pavement.

"Not good enough." The Arrow sounded like a disappointed father as he approached Barry, who dropped his hands to his sides.

"How do you want me to do to prove it to you?" Barry felt frustration rise. He knew he wouldn't be accepted easily, but knocking out the man who would try to kill you would be a big indicator that he was on the Arrow's side.

"How long have you been taking down criminals?" The Arrow asked as he punched  the meta, knocking him out instantly.

"This is... This would be the first dangerous one, actually..." Barry mumbled turning away. His vocals were hurting from all the vibrating.

"What were you thinking? Just running in here thinking you can take out these men with no experience!" The Arrow was obviously angry.

"Listen, I was just trying to help..." Barry raised his hands helplessly, feeling like shit, but also feeling anger rise in him.

"I don't need help. Especially not from an _amateur_."

"I'm trying, okay?" Barry became defensive. "I'm trying to use my powers to help people. Do I want to do that? No, but-"

"There's your first problem. You have to _want_ to be a hero." The Arrow turned around speaking into what Barry assumed to be an earpiece. Once done, he turned his attention back.

"You knocked one out, I can handle the other."

"I can help!"

"Go home."

"Please, let me help." Barry pleaded in a serious tone. “You don't know what you're up against. I don't doubt your ability taking down normal criminals, but these guys have powers. They're different."

"Look up the criminal activity in this city for the past four years and tell me if what I've been up against is _different,_ " The Arrow growled, "Go home, I'll find you if I need your help. For now though, I can handle it."

"Barely," Barry grumbled in frustration before running off.

\---

From  the top of a building, Barry relaxed, watching the clouds move slowly as they passed the moon. He wished he could see the stars, but since he was in the city, star gazing was a no go. He closed his eyes to feel the wind kissing his skin until he realized something was off. The wind gradually picked up causing Barry to open his eyes and see that the clouds were circling in a spiral right above the SCPD precinct.

With his knowledge about the Mardon brother who could control the weather, he didn’t have to think “Metahuman” to race into his suit and run towards the oncoming action. In the five seconds it took Barry to arrive, Mark Mardon had already shattered all the windows in the police department, using his powers to knock out anyone who got in the way.

Barry was about to run in when the Arrow appeared, shooting arrows which were harmlessly deflected by the change in wind. The Arrow was effortlessly thrown to the side of the building, but he got up quickly and ran to engage Mardon hand to hand. Feeling that this was the time to cut in, Barry was about to charge at Mark when an earthquake shook the floor. The walls and ceilings started cracking, creating a loud, eerie sound as the building started to cave in.

Barry selfishly thought about running out with the Arrow, but a glance  at the screaming people around him changed his mind. He saw a woman in a dress, probably some innocent civilian, and thought of Iris. The head detective was shouting orders at his men to evacuate; that could have been Joe. He watched as Mark walked off and the Arrow unsteadily stood, realizing in that moment that he wanted to be a hero. He was past the 50/50 shit, he wanted to do something for the greater good.

He may not know how to save Starling from the Mardon brothers, but he knew he could save everyone trapped in the building. One by one, he ran out of the building with a person, placing them safely on the ground before the whole building crumbled to the ground at any moment. As Barry ran around looking for anyone left in the building, he saw the Arrow being beaten by both brothers. Without thinking, Barry ran in, tackling Clyde to the ground, but as Clyde's body made contact with the ground, dozens of cracks appeared from under his body, causing the floor to give in and the walls to break apart. Clyde fell with the debris as Barry ran to get onto even ground. Mark stopped fighting the Arrow long enough to watch Barry save himself as his brother slipped to his death.

Using the time to his advantage, the Arrow used his bow to knock Mark to the ground and shoot an arrow into the nearest sturdy building. Before jumping he looked back at Barry, who was standing dumbfound at Clyde's body and yelled at him to follow. Without hesitation, Barry ran to meet the Arrow on the rooftop.

Standing on the roof they watched the SCPD crumbled into nothing but dust.

"What the hell were you doing back there!" The Arrow yelled over the wind and noise that the building was creating as it deteriorated into rubble.

"Trying to do something good." Barry was done with the Arrow's attitude towards him and stood his ground. "Trying to be something more than just a helpless citizen..."

"You don't know what it takes to be a hero. You think you can just dress up in a suit and run head first into danger and HOPE you can win? Go home," The Arrow advised.

"I'm trying," Barry was about to yell, but kept his cool.

" _Trying_ isn't taking on a man you can't handle and causing a building to collapse. That’s recklessness and _that’s_ what gets you killed."

"Hey, I just saved all the people that were trapped in there. That's something, right? I'm learning, okay! I thought about what you said earlier. I want to be the hero. I don't have a lot of opportunities to do good for others. I don't have a background in athletics or self-defense training. It's not like this whole ‘saving-people-tackling-the-bad-guy-being-the-hero’ thing has a pamphlet I can just read at any given hour."

The Arrow was about to speak, but Barry cut him off while he still felt confident, "And I looked up records of criminal activity. I read that you were listed as a criminal yourself too? What made you better than them?"

The Arrow inhaled deeply before explaining, "It was personal, and those men were not good people. I'm not like that anymore."

Barry stood awkwardly, not knowing what to say after his rant was over. He didn't trust the man in front of him and was expecting to be shot down and sent home like a child.

"Fine." The Arrow mumbled. At least that's what Barry thought he said.

"Wait, what?" Barry asked confused pretty sure he heard wrong.

"I said _fine_ ," The Arrow's tone suggested otherwise, but he was verbally okay with it all the same, "You can try to help me and I can give you some pointers, but after that you're on your own. If you get in the way, I will send you home. Alive or in a body bag; Your choice.”

"Thank you," Barry half meant it. He knew he needed help, but help from the Arrow could be either be beneficial or not.  

\-----------

While the Arrow made a show of jumping off the roof and running into the darkness, Barry sat himself down trying to process what happened. He felt numb, and yet surprisingly okay for someone who accidentally caused a building to fall.

 _“You don't know what it takes to be a hero. You think you can just dress up in a suit and run head first into danger and HOPE you can win? Go home”_ The voice of the Arrow rang through Barry’s head—and no, he wouldn’t back out of this. He decided that he wanted to help people, and by god he would.

“ _Go home_ ” Barry thought of those words and in the spur of the moment, he ran off of the rooftop through the busy streets and into the all too familiar neighborhood.

He ran until he was a couple of blocks away from his childhood home and walked the rest of the way. The weather was chilly, but it wasn't the cold that was making him shiver. He hoped his dad wasn't home, but on some level knew he would be. He knew he’d be able to run at the first sound of his dad’s footsteps though, and that thought was comforting.

He only had to look at the house to feel a rush of emotions which he shoved down immediately. 

When he stepped on his front porch he didn't knock, but went straight for the hidden key inside the porch light. It was a long shot, but knowing that his dad was a man of routine, Barry doubted that he would have thought to change the hidden location. 

Barry didn’t know what he was thinking. In fact, he wasn’t thinking much at all. Inserting the key into the doorknob, he took a deep breath. He turned the key as he exhaled, listening to the door creak only slightly as it opened.    


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hopefully I can get the next chapter finished and published before Monday, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter.  
> Comment's are nice, they keep me going.  
> I promise now that they have met the story will kinda speed up more. 
> 
> Thank you for patience and time :)


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry talks with his dad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LMAO I should be writing college essays, but... whatever  
> Hope you enjoy

Walking inside, Barry was hit with a foreign, feminine scent and a wave of emotions. He walked through the rooms, his Converse barely making a sound against the hardwood floor and his breath so shallow someone would think he wasn't breathing at all.

All he felt was hurt and abandonment as he walked, remembering vividly where his parents would fight and where his mom had barely said goodbye. He stopped in his tracks, remembering the day his mom walked out the door and never returned.

\---

_"Barry! Come here for a second!" Barry's mom yelled from the back door._

_Barry ran from his room downstairs to see his mom looking at him sadly in the freshly painted green doorway, "Yes mom?"_

_Barry walked slowly to be enveloped in her arms. With the close contact, Barry could feel her taking in quivery deep breaths, but said nothing. She took him gently by his shoulders, holding him at arm's length. He watched her eyes, the same color as is and shining  as they trailed his face. He felt confused and scared; why his mom was acting this way?_

_"Mom..." Barry couldn't keep his voice from shaking, "Where are you going?"_

_"I'm going to a friend's house." She started caressing his hair._

_"When will you be back?"_

_"I don't know."_

_"Mom... you're really scaring me," Barry shook as his mom brought him back into a hug._ _Barry looked at his mom, who could barely look him in the eye now as she turned her back on him._

_"When will you be back?" Barry stood to his feet._

_"Soon..." His mom responded without looking back._

_\---_

Barry blinked back tears as he stared blankly at the now brown door. As for the necklace, he didn't know where it had ended up. He supposed his dad took it when he would randomly search Barry’s room as a kid..

Snapping out of the memories, Barry walked to his room, subconsciously remembering each wood beam in the floor and stairs that creaked, making sure to step over them. It was a throwback to his teen years when he'd sneak back into his room after a night of getting high and fucking someone warm.

Concluding that his dad was asleep down the hall, Barry opened his old bedroom door and flicked the light on. He jumped back in surprise when he saw a child in his bed, asleep. Barry had no time to react before the child woke up and stared at him through blond bangs with blue eyes still heavy with sleep. She had a similar facial structure to his. When she saw Barry standing in her doorway, she became instantly alert and started screaming for her mom and dad.

Soon the hall light turned on and Barry turned quickly to see a woman with obviously dyed red hair appear from the room where his parents used to sleep in.

His first thought in distress was that his dad moved without telling him, but then he saw his dad run out with a gun in hand behind the woman.

"Hands up or I'll shoot!" His dad commanded in a stern and steady tone.

Barry held his hands up as the woman pushed past him to comfort the child.

"Who are you and why are you here?"

"I'm... " Barry couldn't think of why he was here.

"Barry?" Henry asked, but didn't lower the gun.

"Uh... yeah,"  Barry hung his head, feeling his dad's eyes bore holes in his back.

"Damn, boy, I was about to shoot you! Turn around so your old man can see what you look like."

Barry did as he was told and looked at the wall behind his dad.

"Henry, who is this?" The woman asked. 

"This is— This _was_ my son. From my previous marriage."

"I thought he ran away." The woman looked at Barry oddly, as if he was an alien.

"I'll take care of it, take care of Ava," Henry kissed her lightly and gave her a comforting smile (a smile Barry rarely saw) before walking with an obvious restraint and grabbed Barry's arm pulling him downstairs. Now that he was an adult, he knew he'd be able to stand (at least for a while) his dad's degrading comments.

 

When they reached the living room, Henry pushed Barry onto the soft, dirty white cushioned chair and crossed his arms, but not in a necessarily in a disapproving way.

"I was here for business," Barry looked away for a second, but then forced himself to look his dad in the eye.

"Oh yes. The Forensic Scientist of Central City. Such big news. Gotta hand it to you, I didn't think you'd get that far. Seeing how you were when you left..." Henry sat down on a cushioned seat adjacent to Barry studying Barry's every action and reaction.

"You don't, and never did, know me." Barry replied with a focused calm surrounding him.

"You left with barely an explanation, didn't speak to me for seven years, and now come back in the middle of the night with no explanation? Why are you here? At the house." Henry arched his eyebrow, waiting for a response.

"You know why I left." Barry checked his hostile tone and recoiled, calming himself mentally.

 "I guess it was the memories of mom that made me come back here," Barry decided to poke the fire, but also knew it was because he needed to face a fear that was able to be defeated.

"Ha. Yeah, I remember that pissy fit you threw. You thought _I_  was bad, you didn't grow up with my dad; Your grandfather."

"How old is the girl?" Barry decided to take the higher road and pretend that his father’s words didn't hurt.

"Ava; She’s... 13." Henry furrowed his brow as a guilty look crossed his expression.

Barry didn't have to do a lot of math to realize that she was born when he was 12 or 13. A year after his mom left. He swallowed at his dreaded question of if she was Henry's biological daughter or not.

"Half-sister?" Was all Barry could muster.

"Yes." His father answered. Barry took in a shaky breath. “So, you still fuck around?"

"Dad..." Barry didn't want to get into sex with his dad. Of course, this was the conversational path his dad wanted to get into. 

"I know, I know. That was my fault, I accept that. I didn't teach you well enough, and then the next thing I know you're fucking guys left and right! That was mortifying on my part. I couldn't imagine people hearing that my son was a  _whore_."

"One, I fuck all genders, and two, you don't have to be a dick about it." Barry was careful to keep his voice even. He started playing with his shirt sleeves before catching himself and resided to lacing his fingers together and resting his elbows on the arm rests.  

"That boyfriend of yours way back when? He was a dick. By the way, he's in prison now for—"

"Thanks." Barry replied flatly, not taking the kind words to heart too seriously and definitely not wanting to hear how his douche-bag of an ex got a ticket into prison. "So how'd you get... Cassie? How'd you get her in your grasp?"

"I fucked up with you, I won't lie. Your mom was one of the main reasons of that. I'm trying harder with Ava, I guess." Henry sighed putting his elbow on the armrest and leaning his head against his hand. "I'm not like I used to be... Cassie; Ava's mom, she helped me a lot."

"Why weren't mom and I enough for you?" Barry spilled before he could think. His walls building higher, but at the same time crumbling like the precinct with each passing moment.

"Are you even asking that question? Your mom was a grade-A bitch, but I didn't realize that soon enough, and  _you_ were a drunken mistake, but we grew to handle you eventually."

"Why'd you keep me if you hated me that much?" Barry knew he wasn't planned, but the knowledge didn't hurt any less. 

"I never hated you, but giving you up would have looked bad for my image."

"So, you kept me around just to keep your  _image_?"

"It worked, but that was then—this is now. I have a family who aren't stubborn ass mules and you aren't in the picture."

"Why didn't you let me go with mom then!" Barry breathed in heavily to keep from spilling angry tears.

"You were given to me by the court. Your mother couldn't afford to care for you."

" _You_  cut mom's money off and wouldn't allow her to earn her own keep, of-fucking-course she wouldn't have money." Barry said, seething.

"Yeah? Well, did you ever look for her when you left? Or did you just run away from here for your own guilty wants."

"You said and did so much shit, I wasn’t really thinking past getting out of here." Barry defended himself gritting his teeth.

"Well you always started it. You were always in the way." Henry took Barry’s frustration well, leaning back in his chair relaxed, “And look, you’re back, but why? It’s not because of your mom.”

"Do you want to know what happened to your mom? Why she left? What happened to her? Why—"

"No, I don't. Stop. Fucking. Talking." Barry ground his teeth, choosing blissful ignorance rather than the harmful truth. He wasn't supposed to be here, he was supposed to be helping the city and making himself feel good, not worse by confronting his childhood fear.

Barry stood up, about to leave when his dad stopped him, asking him to sit back down.

"No. I don't know why I came here. I have to go."

"Don't you go anywhere," Henry started when an earthquake shook the house. "God, damn it! Fifth earthquake in two days! It's gonna destroy the whole area if this keeps up.

"I don't care," Barry spat. It was a lie, but he was too angry and upset to care what he was saying.

"And yet you came to me first," Henry smirked. " I don’t want you in my life, but you’re still somewhat my son so—.”

Another wave of the earthquake hit when the two men could hear glass shattering from upstairs.

"Cass! Get you and Ava down here, NOW!" Henry yelled before looking back at Barry, " You and your mother fucked me up enough. Playing the victim and making me out to be the bad guy... Don't talk to my wife _or_ daughter without me there, or even better, at all. Go back to fucking the whores and selling yourself and whatever else you do."

Barry knew this had to be the Mardon's again, so he glared at his dad one last time before walking out the door making sure he was out of sight and running off to stop Mark and Clyde. He wasn't what his dad pinned him as. Pent up anger helped Barry run faster, giving him the will to defeat the brothers with every drop of blood he had in him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is already a slow start, but now that I got to them meeting each other, I'm gonna have to either  
> post less frequently, or just shorten the chapters if possible. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!
> 
> (I may get in a chapter from Henry's POV in the next couple chapters...)


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot that I had this written out, but here's the next chapter!

Oliver could barely believe the Streak had run all the way to Starling from Central to help take down two guys with powers. In all honesty, it annoyed the hell out of him.

  
He was about to put an arrow in the man's leg when he wouldn't shut up about "trying to help." He had been planning to to shoot him through the heart after the precinct fell.

  
If it weren't for Felicity, Oliver was pretty sure the man would have been found dead with an arrow through his heart.

  
Now he had to _help_ the dumbass.  
\---  
Oliver was woken from his sleep by the house shaking.

  
It didn't take more than 5 minutes when he got a call from Diggle.

  
"Oliver, I don't think your fast friend killed Clyde," Diggle said. In the back Oliver could hear glass breaking and other objects falling. It was the same scenario in his room.

  
"Try to get to the foundry, if you can't, go to the source of the earthquake. I'll be there." Oliver replied hastily when he remembered Thea and his mom.

  
He ran out of the room yelling frantically for his mom and Thea as objects were breaking left and right. Thea found him first. She was still fully dressed as she ran into him at a corner.

  
"Thea, where's mom?" Oliver yelled over the screaming of the wind outside.

  
"I don't know!" Thea yelled back.

  
"Go to the downstairs bathroom! I'll be right there!" Oliver was about to push her in the direction of the bathroom when the wind squealed and all the windows shattered. He threw himself over Thea's body, shielding her from the shards of glass. The unnaturally strong wind made navigating the house difficult, but he managed to get Thea safely to the bathroom before continuing to search for his mother.

  
He found her downstairs looking for both Oliver and Thea frantically. She looked mostly unscathed, with only glass in her hair and a slight cut on her hand.

  
"Go to the bathroom! I'll be there in a second!" Oliver yelled.

  
"Ollie! Where are you going?" Moira looked at Oliver as if she wasn't going to let him go.

  
"Go to the bathroom! Thea should be there!" Oliver ignored her question and ran.

  
Moira yelled after him, but Oliver was already out the door before he could process what she said.  
\---  
With difficulty, Oliver got to the foundry and suited up, shouting commands at Diggle and Felicity as he moved. The deafening wind outside subsided slightly, allowing Felicity to safely see what was going down in the city streets.

  
"Ah, um, Oliver? Our fast friend made another appearance." Felicity and Diggle watched as lightning streaked through the city, clearing out all the civilians while also aiming a hit or two at the brothers, leaving them looking angrier than before.

  
"Damn it! Damn him," Oliver growled, running out the door.

  
With the wind dying down, Oliver was able to ride his motorcycle fairly well, expertly avoiding all the cracks and crevices in the road.

  
When he arrived he jumped off the motorcycle already notching an arrow before his feet landed on the ground. The Fast Man— or Streak as Oliver decided to call him, was nowhere to be seen, but the two brothers were making a show of destroying a block of small shops and apartments.  
In a flash, Oliver could feel a gust of wind and electricity fly by him as he watched the blur of a man tackle Clyde, probably punching him repeatedly at unimaginable speeds.

  
It took a strong gust of wind from Mark to throw the Streak into one of the dilapidated buildings to get Oliver to let his arrow fly, landing it straight into Mark's arm.

  
Oliver had no time to think of the Streak's health status as he ran, shooting not Mark, but Clyde because he was down and defenseless. Mark tried deflecting the arrows, but missed one as the it pierced the side of Clyde's, side lodging itself deep in his liver.

  
Oliver knew Clyde would be dead in minutes.

  
Mark did too.

  
Mark screamed with rage and faced Oliver, murder in his eyes. Mark summoned a devastating wind, small debris whipping around him and the ground rumbling as he aimed all of his strength at Oliver.

  
Oliver watched as all the rubble rained down on him, and in a millisecond was staring at the rocks colliding with the ground where he had been standing. He looked to see Mark walking away, taking down every other building he passed. Beside him was the Streak vibrating to keep his identity blurred.

  
"What—"

  
"Talk later, we're finishing this fucking thing right now," The man demanded. Oliver was taken aback. This couldn't have been the same man who, just hours ago,was pleading for his help and acceptance.

  
"Are you going to help me or try to stop me?" The man challenged. Oliver couldn’t see the man’s facial features, but he could feel anger and frustration radiating off of the red suit. Partially because Oliver personally felt the same emotions for such a long time, they were almost like an old unwanted friend.

  
Oliver watched as the Streak ran off to block Mark, taking that as his cue to run in. He aimed for the back to slow him down, but hit his arm instead. Oliver ran and used a turned over car to bounce off to add leverage to his kick to Mark's face.

  
The two went at it with their fists before Oliver was roughly thrown into the side of a boulder.

  
Before Oliver could get up, Mark whipped the winds around him until he created his own personal tornado.

  
The Streak ran to help Oliver steady himself, staring at the tornado in equal disbelief.

  
"How are we going to stop that?" Oliver yelled.

  
"A tornado is a column of wind rotating in one direction, so if I run in the opposite direction I may be able to unravel it!" The Streak yelled back.

  
"How the hell..." Oliver trailed off. The Streak was not only fast, but also a geek.

  
"I know someone in Central who is very knowledgeable in science. He never shuts the fuck up about it. Now if I'm doing the running shit, you're gonna have to be ready to make a fatal shot at Mark when the tornado unravels. I don't know how or if I can take the tornado down, but I’m sure as hell gonna try.”

  
"Okay," Oliver was, for once in a long time, glad he was not the one making the decisions.

  
"I wonder if he was talking about Barry," Felicity chimed in causing Oliver to flinch in surprise. He forgot sometimes that she could hear everything that was going on.

  
He watched in awe as the man ran around Mark's tornado until he was just a ring of yellow light. As he ran faster,the lightning sparked and crackled off the ring. Surprisingly, the man's idea was working, and Mark was slowly becoming visible. He was unstable too, struggling to regain control of his tornado as The Streak unraveled it more and more. Oliver notched his arrow once more, aiming it carefully as the tornado died.

  
When it was completely gone, the arrow flew, and made home in Mark's heart.   
Oliver ran to see The Streak on the ground panting hard.

  
Oliver made a move to see if the man was okay, but stopped when The Streak flashed away, leaving Oliver alone in the street. It had become eerily quiet after all the commotion. He fell to his knees listening to the last bits of wall from buildings collapse on the ground. He was covered in sweat and dirt; the air around him smelled of dirt and sewage.

  
\--------

  
Three blocks of Starling City was completely ruined. News crews and helicopters were swarming the area. Oliver watched from a rooftop still decked out in his outfit when he saw the streak running through his streets. Thinking the man left right after the battle was over, Oliver was guiltily intrigued as to why the man was sticking around.

  
He watched The Streak run until realizing that he was making a rough arrow shape with his lightning pointing at a building. Oliver took it as a sign to meet, so he stood and was on top of the designated rooftop in minutes.

  
He was met with the familiar static in the air as The Streak stood a good distance away from him.

  
"You're still here," Oliver stated the obvious.

  
"I stayed to tell you that the brothers said they weren't destroying for them, but someone else. I think they were hired by people who want to cause a shit ton of damage for fun. MS-13... Something here though caught their interest."

  
"How would you know that?" Suspicion rose once again in Oliver.

  
"I asked," The man shrugged, "And because they met here and not in my city."

  
"You— You don't— You know what? Whatever. You helped bring them down, I have to... thank you. I was... I was wrong about you. You do have the traits of a hero." Oliver swallowed his pride to tell the man that.

  
The man was silent before almost whispering, "Thank you... that means a lot," The man looked away almost shyly.

  
"Do you have a hero name to match that costume of yours?" Oliver asked. He was tired of thinking of the man in front of him as The Fast Man and The Streak.

  
"No," was the emotionless reply, "Haven't thought on it really. Didn't decide I wanted to be a hero, or a public one, till I got here.”

  
"You should have one."

  
"You've got any ideas?" The man asked.

  
"The Lightning, The Flash, Running Man, Electricity, The Streak—" Oliver started, but was cut off.

  
"Who knows, I kinda like The Flash." Oliver could hear a small smile in the man's tone, even if he couldn't see one.

  
"That's all I wanted to say. If you need me, you know how to get in touch with me." The man nodded his head at Oliver before running off back towards his city.

  
Oliver knew that he would meet the man again, dreading that it would be sooner than later.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hoped you enjoyed the chapter from Oliver's POV.   
> Comment are nice, they keep me going. 
> 
> Thanks!


	19. barry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dropped off the face of the earth, but I managed to climb back up. Sorry for the long wait guys! School's been super crazy lately and I barely have time to even be on a computer. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter!

In an empty parking lot miles away from her house, Nora broke down in her car sobbing uncontrollably. She could barely sit up straight as she looked around for anything to comfort her. 

Barry, who was her child and only person who stood by her side since he was born.

Who loved her as much as any twelve year old could.

Who trusted her and looked at her like she was a goddess. 

Who got left behind with an angry father.

 

accidentally of course. 

 

**An hour earlier**

Nora paced her bedroom floor restlessly. She was going to leave Henry tonight. She would drop Barry off at the West's so it would be easier to get out in case Henry came home while she was leaving. She couldn't let Barry witness his mom getting hurt. She only stayed with Henry as long as she did because of Barry. A sudden rise of anger followed by guilt came when she blamed Barry for the place she was in. It wasn't his fault, he was only a child and didn't have anything to do with her current situation. She was responsible for staying as long as she did.  She and Henry went to a couple counseling and even though Henry's charisma showed that he was getting better, behind the mask he was just becoming worse. 

As she walked out the door, Henry and Barry were walking towards the house.

"Henry!" Nora choked on her own words. She could feel her heartbeat quicken as Henry stared at her with an off set gaze. Swallowing her fear, she acted as normal as she could and strong for Barry's sake. "I thought you had to work tonight." 

"I waaas, but then I decided I love my family so I'd take time off to spend time with them. Eh Barrrry?" Henry smiled lopsidedly down at his son, who didn't return his smile, but instead looked scared out of his mind.

Henry wasn't pleased with that response, growling, "Ungrateful bitch, just like your mom."

"Barry, can you go inside?" Nora asked without breaking her gaze with Henry. She felt like a mouse facing a tiger. If she looked away Henry would pounce.

"How about we aaaaall go inside?" Henry smiled as he pushed Barry with one hand on Barry's back into the house followed by Nora, who had to cross her arms and clench her jaw so she wouldn't visibly shake. 

\---  
**Barry's POV**  
Barry never understood why his parents fought so often. Why his mom became so sad and why his dad started disappearing for nights or days at a time. Barry was sent to his room, but before he even reached the door, he could hear his parents screaming at each other down the hall. He knew it was about him, but he didn't know what he did wrong. He tried his best to be good so they wouldn't get angry. Most arguments had him in it. If he could just be better, maybe his dad would come home and his mom would smile again.

"So?" Henry asked in a loud voice that was supposedly "quiet".

"So? You drove our son home while drunk! You could have gotten in a wreck!" Nora yelled back exasperated.

"I'm not _that_ drunk. More like... like _buzzed_."

Nora tried to sound unimpressed. "Where were you tonight Henry."

"I was working."

"I said I was working." Henry sounded angry.

"Really? Your work doesn't include drinking. Were you with the other woman?" His mom's voice was shaking, which scared Barry. She was always so strong.

"You don't trust me? I'm your husband!" Henry roared.

Even through the walls, Barry flinched when he heard a hand make contact with skin and his mom's shrill shriek.

"How can I trust you when I don't even know you!" Nora screamed, finally losing it.

"I'm sorry sweetie, I'm sorry, I didn't mean— I'm drunk, I'm sorry I wouldn't—"

"Cut the shit Henry! Stop the lies and face me and tell me the truth. First it was Moira, now who is this new girl?" Barry's Mom kept screaming and crying. 

Henry said something Barry couldn't make out, but following was his mom's hysterical crying, "I can't do this. I can't live here anymore!"

Barry hugged his blankets closer to him. They lowered their voices being inaudible until Barry heard his mom gasping for air. she was crying he guessed. He tried drowning out her crying until he felt his bed shake from the wall's vibration as something hit the wall. his mom screamed followed by his dad's yell of rage. Barry got out of bed and ran to see what caused the noise and froze in place as he watched his mom on the ground being beaten by his dad. Wanting to protect her, Barry ran and tried prying his dad off. He didn't understand why his dad was like this. When he tried holding his dad's fist back from throwing another punch, Henry growled and pushed Barry away, causing Barry to hit the wall hard enough to knock the breath out of him.

"Barry, go to the West's!" Nora cried through a bloody mouth.

Barry was fast for his age, so running to the West's wouldn't be too much of a problem, but as his foot left the dark porch and the door swung shut, he felt a rough hand clamp down on his shoulder. Shaking, he was turned to face his dad, red with anger. "If you run, I will have to punish you. If I punish you, just remember that you'd deserve it." His dad growled when a car engine started.

Barry's heart fell as he watched his mom leave without him and he let his dad drag him back inside, feeling lifeless as a rag doll.

 

Barry was too scared to even cry that night in case his dad would hear. When he slept, he dreamed of his dad as the monster in the closet, pulling him by the ankles into the darkness and beating him. He woke up in a cold sweat. It was Saturday, but walking around the house he noted his dad wasn't home. he thought last night was just a dream, it had to be. It was just a vivid dream where his dad was meaner than he was.

"Mom?" Barry yelled. He walked cautiously to the door to hear for any indications for his dad.

He saw her looking as if she was never beaten with the exception of a bruise on her cheek. Barry walked slowly to be enveloped in her arms. With the close contact, Barry could feel her taking in quivery deep breaths, but said nothing. She took him gently by his shoulders, holding him at arm's length. He watched her eyes, the same color as is and shining  as they trailed his face. He felt confused and scared; why his mom was acting this way? He did know why though. Last night wasn't a dream, and she was leaving.

"Mom..." Barry couldn't keep his voice from shaking, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to a friend's house." She started caressing his hair.

"When will you be back?"

"I don't know."

"Mom... you're really scaring me," Barry shook as his mom brought him back into a hug.  Barry looked at his mom, who could barely look him in the eye now as she turned her back on him.

"When will you be back?" Barry stood to his feet.

She never replied, he watched her close the door and Henry envelope her in a hug, probably begging her to stay. Barry inched towards the door in time to hear his dad threaten his mom, "If you come back or even think about reporting me, I will give you a hell of a reason to report me. You won't have a son to come back to."

Henry walked in the house, giving a look of pure hatred in Barry's direction. He reeled of alcohol and cigs, drinking all night.

Barry swallowed, to nervous to speak, to nervous to go back to his room for fear of his life.

"I hate you! I fucking _hate_ you!" Henry shouted by the end of his sentence before storming to his room slamming the door behind him.

Barry went back to his room and closed the door quietly so he didn't anger his dad. He felt like his soul left his body. He was numb, he couldn't feel a thing. He wanted to cry, his lungs felt too big for his rib cage. He held his hands in front of him and saw them shaking uncontrollably, but tears wouldn't come. Hours later was when he would be melting onto the floor beside his bed, sobbing, the lump in his throat so big he couldn't breathe properly. He wanted to throw everything in his room. He wanted to lash out, let some of his internalized anger and sadness out, scream until he couldn't speak, but instead he bit his blanket to quiet himself. He couldn't breathe. His chest felt like it was going to burst. He felt alone as he realized that his mom wasn't coming back and his dad hated him.

\---

**present day**

****

Joe stopped dead in his tracks when he glanced out the precinct's glass doors to see Henry Allen make his way in. He waited where he stood for Henry to walk in and look around, before making eye contact with Joe.

 

"Joe!" Henry briefly smiled before walking over. Joe stiffly shook Henry's hand knowing what damage that hand could create. Even though Joe would have liked to punch the man, he was head detective and mature.

"Henry, what brings you to Central?"

"Work related, but while I was here I thought about looking for Barry actually. Can he see... people who don't work here?"

"What do you want with him?" Joe felt his parenting defenses rising.

"I just need to talk to him, Joe." Henry raised his hands up and shaking his head slightly.

"You haven't tried once to talk to him in seven years, why now? What do you need."

"I just need to talk."

"I don't want you seeing him." Joe stood his place.

Henry looked away chuckling, before replying, "You don't have a say in that. He's a grown man and I am his father."

"You lost your rights as a father the day a long time ago. They should have been lost legally." Joe snapped.

"God damn Joe! I'm a changed man! It's been seven years! Besides, Barry came to me first."

"What?" Joe was taken aback a step. He would never guess Barry would ever want to see his dad again.

"Yeah he just entered my house one night before a big shit show in Starling. We had a conversation, but like usual, he got angry and left." Henry watched Joe's face to see if Joe would believe him.

Joe didn't have any control over Barry's life and where he went, but he'd think Barry would at least say something about meeting his dad. "I'll go see if he wants to see you."

"Awesome. I'll be in town till tomorrow. Tell him he can meet me here," Henry smiled and gave Joe the address to the hotel he was staying at.

\----  
"My dad's standing outside." Barry ran his fingers through his hair and sunk in his seat when Joe told him.

"You contacted your dad? What for?" Joe tried to sound neutral instead of the mixed feelings he was feeling.

"I uh... heard some stuff and wanted to see if it was true," Barry bit his lip avoiding Joe's gaze, "but he pretty much said I wasn't his son anymore and now he's here. What should I do?"

"Do you want to talk to him?"

"I don't know."

\-----  
Barry ran to the address Joe gave him and knocked on the door. He fidgeted with his jacket sleeves with sweaty palms, second guessing his idea on being at the hotel. Before he could run, he heard the doorknob turn and his dad standing in front of him.

  
"Barry! I'm honestly surprised you showed up." Henry grinned. 

"You can cut the act, there's nobody here to impress. Barry kept a neutral face. "Why did you ask to see me?"

"I can't visit my son?" The grin didn't falter, which was unsettling.

"Given what happened five days ago I remember you disowning me as a son."

"I was angry five days ago. I mean, you broke into my house. Anyways, I wanted to sit down and talk about things" Henry laughed the memory off, patting Barry on the back and urging him inside.

"You mean your new family."Kind of. Over the past couple years Star City has gone to shit. The economy is bad, my job in Queen Consolidated is on a timer, in fact, the whole business is"

"So coming here helps... how?"

"I'm here with a someone to find a way to team up with a business here. It's long drive, yes, but worth it."

  
"Who are you with?"

"Oliver. You remember him right?"

"Barry drew in a long breath, "why?"

"His mom owns the company and she asked him to go with me."

"Why did you want to meet with me?"

  
"Aside from helping the Queen family, I was also doing some... house hunting. I'm thinking about moving here with my family. Star City is great, but it's not doing economically well. So many People are moving already! Give or take a couple years and the place will be run to the ground, and— yeah." Henry stopped abruptly.

"And..."

  
"To say sorry" Henry's grin lessened a little looking even more stiff.

"About..." Barry edged on. 

"You know.. the past..." Henry raised his chin high, visibly swallowing his pride.

In response, Barry raised his eyebrow unimpressed, "emphasize."

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry for raising you like I did, sorry you're lifestyle was fucked up, Yes I have done things to drive you towards drugs and sex, but you could have resisted those... temptations."

"Coping mechanisms." Barry didn't see how that was a defense, but it was the only response he could think of.

"Did you do anything to try to stop though?if it wasn't for your mom—" I know,I know. It's just, your mother fucked me up, and then she left you with me and you reminded me everyday of her—"

"Cut the shit, no more half-ass excuses. You hurt mom, and you hurt me." Barry raised his voice in anger, before checking himself and backing away to calm himself.

"Listen, boy, I'm trying to apologize here." Henry's voice rose slightly indicating his anger.

"Who put you up to this?" Barry made sure his voice sounded skeptical.

"Nobody. I'm just a man who turned anew leaf, a father who wants to settle matters with his son!"

"After seven years? I don't believe that." Barry scoffed.

"LISTEN YOU BRAT!" Henry yelled and raised his hand before checking himself. Barry never thought he'd relax at his father yelling, but this was the dad he was used to, not the one smiling and trying to apologize.

"Does your new family know about _this_ side of you? Do they even know about me and your history? Or did you make up a lie about that too?" Barry yelled back practically laughing at the current situation. It wasn't funny, but if he didn't laugh he'd feel another emotion, more negative, which when he acted on the negativity, usually got him into trouble. 

"I act when I have to! Ava isn't as fucked up as you were so I can actually be a real father to her!" Henry wasn't yelling, but his voice was loud enough for people in the halls to hear.

"I was "fucked up" because you fucked me and my life up and I was left with the burden."Henry lowered his voice, although he didn't lower his temper, "Oliver's next door, I can't let him hear me. As for my wife? She knows, about you. Ava- my little girl- she doesn't. I'd like it to stay that way too. Not that I'm expecting you to be around for her to see you. I admit I was part of the problem, but you were a problem too."

"I'm going to go. This conversation isn't gaining anything." Barry was surprised at his own coldness in his voice as he left. 

"Wait, I need you look for some houses." Henry said before Barry closed the door.

Barry looked back and laughed. When his dad asked why, he responded that after an argument, when Henry lashed out and shitted all over Barry, he immediatly switched and asked Barry for a favor.

"Why would I want you in this city." Barry insulted.

"Listen, I'm just trying to do what would be best for Ava. I want her to thrive and go to school and get proper education instead of living in a poor economic city. You wouldn't want to be part of the reason why she couldn't go to college, would you?" Henry manipulated, but Barry couldn't see it past the guilt in front of him.

"I need you to swear that she isn't hurt."

"I protect her with my life."

Barry never answered, he just scoffed "sure", and walked out the door, slamming it on his way out.

  
\---

Barry knew Iris knew something was wrong. Somehow she always did. They were chilling in the West's living room on the worn out couch late at night recalling their day. Barry left out his part about Henry, but his mind was only there. He had seven years to let go of his past, which he succeeded in, but then Henry showed up twice in a month. Granted the first was Barry's doing, and he was scared he just let the first domino fall of many. They were on the couch, Barry sitting at the end with Iris' head in his lap and her feet resting on the arm of the furniture. They were watching Men In Tights, joking about who was which character at a certain time.

"Barry."

"Yes?" Barry answered, being pulled out of the hotel room into the West's living room.

"What's on your mind?"

"Nothing much." Barry looked her in the eyes. He didn't feel like trying to answer questions he didn't know the answer to.

"Barry. I've been Talking to you for 5 minutes and you've just been staring out the window." Iris sat up and looked at him with an arched, but worrisome look.

"I swear, Iris. It was just a long day." Barry felt the mood of the room change, so before Iris could ask anymore questions, he sat up and left to go to his apartment ignoring Iris' light pleas to stay.

As he was walking to his apartment, his phone dinged indicating a message. Thinking it was Iris or Joe asking if he was okay, he looked at the text, just to see it as an unknown number.

From: Unkown  
To: Barry  
Meet me at Jitter's at noon tomorrow.

From: Barry  
To: Oliver  
Who is this?

From: Unknown  
To: Barry  
Oliver

From: Barry  
To: Oliver  
How the fuck did you get my number?

From: Oliver  
To: Barry  
Are you going to be able to make it or not.

From: Barry  
To: Oliver  
Why

From: Oliver  
To: Barry  
I need to talk about your dad.

From: Barry  
To: Oliver  
Great

Barry didn't reply to the last text Oliver sent asking— no, demanding if Barry would make it or not. Again, if Oliver just asked, Barry may have said yes.

Then again, Oliver never needed him and to Barry's knowledge, Oliver didn't need anyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any typos or grammatical errors, not beta read.  
> Comments are wonderful, they keep me wanting to write my stories and help with future writing.  
> Kudos are also nice
> 
> Also, is this story keeping your interest? If not, what could I do to keep it interesting? The next few chapters will speed the plot along. Hopefully next chapter will be out before Saturday night. 
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks!


	20. Oliver

Mustering up confidence to speak to Barry, Oliver held his head high, but not pridefully high,into the coffee shop willing himself to look casual and not at all nervous like he felt. He felt stupid, honestly, for feeling nervous like he was meeting his long time crush. This was Barry for Christ's sake. Oliver forced his nerves down as his eyes scanned the small seating area to see Barry relaxed and sitting in the corner near the window on a chair with his arms crossed and looking outside. Even from a distance Oliver could tell that Barry was good looking and along his type of guy, but it was a pity it was Barry.

 _When did he become hot?_ Oliver thought as he looked at the side profile. A Physical trait he hadn't noticed the last time they met.

 _Remember, you asked him to meet you_.

  
"Hi," Oliver walked over slowly announcing his presence and sat down. He took in a deep breath when Barry looked at him. Swallowing his pride, he immediately regretted his decision to meet up.

"Hey," Barry turned and looked at Oliver, his face unreadable which Oliver didn't like at all. reading faces and body language was something he accomplished well on the island.It made him uncomfortable when he couldn't get a hint at what the other person was feeling.

Oliver fiddled with his fingers that were tangled together and resting on the table while he stared at Barry wondering how to approach the topic of Henry. Barry was looking to the side, watching the other customers do their thing pretending Oliver wasn't across from him.

"Is everything okay?" Oliver asked, lamely trying to start the conversation.

"Yeah? Why?" Barry looked at him, ano by the way his eyes were moving, Oliver guessed Barry was studying him.

"You seem..." Oliver couldn't think of a word to describe the vibe that Barry was sending off. It wasn't a hostile or tense one, but it wasn't friendly or relaxed either.

"You less than asked for me to meet you here, so here I am waiting for you to tell me why I'm here." Barry looked straight into Oliver's eyes with no real judgement in his own, but still harsh enough to make Oliver know he wasn't welcome with open arms.

"I need to talk about your dad." Oliver forgot the sugar to coat the subject and mentally winced at the instant switch in Barry's harsh gaze that lasted a split second.

"About what?" Barry's steady reply didn't match his eyes which spoke more than his words. Barry definitely didn't like talking about his dad Oliver noted which made him feel more like an ass.

"I need you to tell me what he's like." 

"Like a hard ass dad. Why?" Barry said, his eyes looking scared.

Oliver kept eye contact like a dog trying to dominate another to get Barry to talk, but when Barry brought his attention back to Oliver, Oliver was the one who had to look away and give in. Something he hated, but also had to give Barry credit. No man has been able to withhold Oliver's interpretation looks.

"My Mom is thinking of allowing him into the company. I need to know if he's fit, personally, for an office job."

"Ask him yourself, isn't that what an interview is for?"

"I know he's lying. I don't want to say anything bad about your dad—"

"Oh no, go ahead. He's an ass." Barry cut in dryly.

Oliver realized Barry may not have been the best person to go to; that he and his dad didn't have the father son relationship Oliver thought they had, but he was the only one who grew up with Henry.

"A friend of my mom interviewed your dad, and a policy of ours is to record the interviews. She said she had some concerns, and watching the video, I don't think he was all he let on to be."

  
"You record your interviews?" Barry made the first hint of emotion other than non amusement.

"Star City is dangerous. Someone came into our company for an interview and pulled a gun out. Shot the interviewer, and held the floor captive."

Barry raised his chin slightly as a nod of understanding.

"I also was in the car with him for 7 hours. Some of his comments were..."

"Crude?" Barry finished the sentence flatly, but with a sense of amusement laced in his voice.

"To state it lightly." Oliver felt a small smirk betray his lips as he remembered all the ignorant comments Henry made as Oliver forced himself not to throw the man out of the car.

Barry broke his unreadable persona smirking slightly and Oliver couldn't help but smile a little too. He didn't know if he smiled from the relief of Barry showing what he was feeling, or that the two were agreeing with something.

"Sounds like him. How badly is he looking for a job?"

"He was fired from his other one. Came begging to my mom, but she wasn't sure. I just need to know if he'd be a positive attribute to the company."

"Oh?" Barry looked genuinely surprised, "Considering their history, I'm surprised..." Barry trailed off acting like he remembered he shouldn't talk about his dad's life.

"What?" Oliver furrowed his brows. He knew his mom and Henry were friends, but he never knew the status of their friendship. He passed it off not wanting to know.

"He's not the best... but he'd be good for your job. I think." Barry looked to the side as if he was choosing his words carefully.

"Okay." Oliver tried to read Barry, but still couldn't read what was below his physical features. The Barry that smirked and shared a joke with Oliver was gone, and the walls were built back up. Oliver knew that there was more to Henry than Barry was telling him.

"Have you talked to your dad lately?" Oliver asked seeing if he could pry Barry of some information.

"No. Haven't talked to him since I left Star City."

"Really." Oliver arched his eyebrow. If he didn't hear Henry and Barry yelling through the hotel wall the night before, he may have believed the other man.

Oliver went through a string of questions, trying to Break Barry to admit he was at the hotel to no avail. Something else he had to credit the man for for holding his ground.

"Listen, I don't like talking about my dad, so can we drop the subject?" Barry snapped before breathing deeply and leaning against the back of the chair.

"Sure" Oliver nodded and both went into awkward silence.

"So how is Starling?" Barry's voice, much more friendlier, cut the silence catching Oliver off guard once again.

Oliver recalled the downwards spiral that Star City was facing and how The Arrow was hard at work. Len came up in conversation, Barry briefly saying how the man made the CCPD run around in circles uselessly. Oliver knew his ex friend turned into a criminal on the most wanted. He saw it coming. Speaking of criminals, it occurred to Oliver that Barry might know of The Streak. Or the Flash depending on what the "hero" chose. He remembered Felicity vaguely speaking of them knowing each other.

"So I heard you talk to The Streak thing?"

"Well not really talk to him." Barry shrugged and looked away, "sometimes he runs in and hands me files to look over. Mostly criminals I guess he tries to catch."

"Why do you trust him? He could be giving you leads to innocent people he's trying to kill." Oliver let his pessimism be seen.

"Such an optimistic person." Barry replied sarcastically, "So far every person he's given me has been a criminal that needs to be caught. Do I trust people? No. Do I trust him? So far yes."

"But why?"

"I have to get back to work." Barry started to stand quickly to avoid the question.

"You didn't answer my question." Oliver stood as well.

"I don't want to." Barry didn't look back, but Oliver could hear the shrug of Barry's shoulders anyways.

"Fine. I'll see you later then." Oliver got up and walked two steps before he heard Barry scoff.

  
"What?" Oliver turned to see a smirk.

"We live hundreds of miles apart and you think we'll "see each other later"?"

"Have you always been an asshole?" Oliver gave a low blow walking out of the shop with Barry trailing him.

"Yeah, Pretty much." Barry replied honestly with no sign that he took the words seriously. 

"You know, I'm surprised that you, a guy who at 19 got stranded on an island for five years, came back as the same spoiled, arrogant, rich kid. You'd think five years on an island would humble a guy." Barry said as if it were a fact instead of an insult, and maybe it was a fact, which hurt Oliver more than an insult would.

"I'm not that person anymore. And you can't judge me on that, you haven't been around me to make that judgement."

"I'm not talking about now, now you're okay because you need me. But that shit that went down in Star last time I was there? You were awful." Barry still made himself sound factual instead of insulting.

 That hurt a little to Oliver, but the truth hurts. It wasn't like he could tell Barry that he was the Arrow and had to use his rich boy persona as his altar ego. One because it was his secret, and two because Barry wouldn't understand, but he could make amends.

"Listen... I—" Oliver caught Barry's attention and as Barry turned to look at Oliver, Oliver felt his throat go dry, and with all sincerity, continued, "I know I was an ass to you in high school, and maybe last year too, but I am different. I don't hate you... anymore."

"Heh, you were an immature asshole." Barry crossed his arms playing with his sleeves and look anywhere except in Oliver's direction.

"I know." Oliver said softly hating himself for speaking, but knowing it was the right thing to do.

"Anyways... I accept your apology. It means a lot, really, but it does nothing." Barry looked down and Oliver's guilt made him look down too. He knew it didn't help.

"I have to get back to work, but I'll see you around."

Oliver looked up to see Barry looking at him with a new gaze, still unreadable, but not with the same negative feeling around him. The light hit Barry's eyes just right so Oliver could see the different colors in his hazel eyes which showed levels of emotional depth Oliver couldn't see inside the coffe shop.

"Sure." Oliver smiled genuinly. Saying sorry suddenly released a weight Oliver didn't know was weighing on his shoulders. He knew Barry and him may never be friends, but apologizing was like letting a piece of his past go as he tied the knot.

  
\----------------

 

On the way back, Oliver was driving when they saw a dozen or more police officers fly past them.

"Huh, wonder what crime happened this time." Henry said.

Oliver gripped the steering wheel tight, knowing that whatever involves 12 out of area police cars to go to the city needs the Arrow's help. He sped up ignoring Henry's warning's to slow down.

He got a mile out of the city to see hundreds to thousands of people running out on foot, causing car crashes everywhere. They were all screaming. At the same time, he got a call from Diggle and Felicity, and his mom. He decided to pick up Diggle's call.

"Where are you? Are you seeing this!" Diggle yelled over a lot of screaming, hurting Oliver's ear.

"I'm outside the city. What's going on? There's people running on the highway."

"I don't know man, but something dangerous just arrived and are gunning down everyone. Felicity and I are at the base."

"What about Thea?" Oliver asked worriedly.

"I went to find them, but they weren't in the house."

"I'll be there."

Oliver practically jumped out of the car to look above him to see helicopters with armed men flying into Star.

"Where the hell are you going? Get back in the car!" Henry yelled at Oliver.

"I'm going to find my family! What are you doing!" Oliver judged the older man as he was making a U-turn

"I'm getting the fuck out of here."

Oliver glared at the coward before running off to the city. The screaming rose the closer Oliver got to the city streets, kids crying and a variety pitches of fear rung like an orchestra that didn't have a director.

  
He saw heavily armed men in SWAT getup as well as military men shooting at civilians and at each other. It was more than chaos. It was hell on earth.

Oliver watched in shock as men with guns would shoot even young children without a second thought. As much as it hurt to watch children being killed, he had to get to his hideout to retrieve his arrows.

As Oliver attempted to get to the Verdant, he noticed that the men stopped gunning people, but instead used the bullets to scare people in a certain direction.

"Felicity! Updates, NOW." Oliver roared slamming open the base's door.

"It looks like they're herding the people into the main streets. They're pulling people out of the crowd. Oliver... you're mom's one of them. Thea is in the crowd."

"Why?" Oliver barked as he pulled on his boots and retrieving his quiver.

"I don't know, they're pulling up founder's from all the big companies." Felicity started typing on her keyboard.

Oliver opened the door just to be thrown back down the stairs, hitting the hard floor mercilessly. Two men, both in military uniforms with SWAT headgear, advanced on him ready to kill. Oliver, through the pain, got up and blocked the right man before he was stabbed. Fun shots echoed loudly as Diggle buried a whole round of all into the two men, yet they still laughed. Oliver threw himself into a hand to hand combat, barely dodging the two, before ripping off one of the headgear and taking an arrow forcing the tip through the man's mouth and into his brain. The other man lunged for Oliver's back before Diggle shot the man perfectly in the heart. Both of the men had a strange branding on their right cheeks.

"Go! We'll take care of... them." Felicity cut the silence urgently.

"Be careful Oliver, you can't take them all on yourself." Diggle warned.

"If it comes to it, get to safety no matter what it takes. Don't wait for me." Oliver said before his friends could protest and ran out the door.

Oliver used the rooftops as his way of traveling since his motorcycle would make too much attention, making it to the center of action in no time. He notched an arrow, ready for it to fly, when a loud rumble came, knocking him on the ground and hitting his head hard. He realized through a haze a man was speaking to the crowd. He peaked over to make sure he wasn't seen, as he watched a horrific scene unfold.

A man dressed in red, the leader he supposed, was talking silently to a female reporter, who was being held by two people dressed in military uniforms and forced to tell what was happening live. The camera then panned over to the company owners and other specific people in the businesses, all on their knees with a weapon used differently all ready to kill. Some had guns pointed to the back of their heads while some had it pointing right between their eyes.

Oliver's stomach sunk as he saw a knife at his mom's throat. He noticed Tommy and his father, Malcolm, among the people both with guns at the back of their heads. Tommy was crying silent tears, while Malcolm and Moira knelt with heads held high. Oliver felt proud of his mom, watching her keep her dignity, while other men and women in the group were losing their shit, crying and negotiating with money. He noticed his mom, looking around at the crowd, but mostly up on the buildings till she spotted him.

Oliver's emotions stole his logic in that moment as he took his bow, notching an arrow on the string. As he started to aim carefully, Moira slightly shook her head, telling him not to do anything. If his mom looked at him pleadingly, Oliver probably would have jumped down and taken down the whole group of invaders if it meant to save his mom, but instead she looked at him with acceptance. In that moment, Oliver realized she knew his identity.

Once the reporter was finished, her throats was immediately cut, causing screaming and crying all around followed by gunshots.

"If i hear anyone crying again, I will fucking shoot half of you!" The man in charge roared in a deep, almost inhumane voice. "Where is your Vigilante? The Arrow. Gone when you need him most. Ha, he isn't as loyal to this city as you all thought! He failed this city."

The leader then motioned for the victims to be killed, giving them a chance to say their last words, which was a mix of "please don't","I'll do anything!","Why are you doing this?", but when Moira was asked, Oliver looked away, but forced himself to watch when his mom started speaking.

"I believe in the Arrow. He's always been loyal to this city," Moira's voice held the strength people needed, "He's had many times to back down as a vigilante, but he hasn't."

The man behind her took out his knife ready for the kill and Oliver didn't want to look. He wanted to run, but knowing his mom was saying this to him, he stayed so her words wouldn't be in vain. He laid behind the wall, clutching the bow tight in his hand and squeezing his eyes shut. He couldn't breathe as he silently choked on his pain.

Moira's voice quickened as he heard her timer start the last ten seconds of her life, "I'm proud of him. He's always been my hero and I want to say that I love-"her last words were cut off with a gurgle as the leader sliced her stomach, letting her intestines run out onto the pavement. Oliver jumped up and before the knife was through cutting, he let his Arrow fly and hit the man in the throat giving away his position.

Someone screamed in fear and that's when people started running as they were being gunned down. Oliver watched Malcolm surprisingly take on three men at once while Tommy was immediately shot in the head. Oliver couldn't tear his eyes away from his mom writhing on the ground with the man standing over her, taunting her. He could still see an open way to her chest, so notching an arrow, he let it fly, piercing her perfectly in the heart, ending her suffering immediately.

\---  
A week later  
The streets of Starling became unrecognizable. Oliver went back to his compound to see the two bodies gone, but the whole place trashed and Diggle and Felicity absent. There was fresh blood on the ground in places where the men didn't bleed out. He could only hope it wasn't Diggle or Felicity's. Oliver tried calling them to no avail. It was torture. Everyone he cared about was gone and he wasn't sure if they were dead or not. He hoped Diggle got his wife and daughter out of the city and took Felicity with them, but Thea was still nowhere to be found. He watched in misery as his city he spent so much time to protect was gone.

Whatever took over the city weren't human. They wouldn't eat, and their skin began to rot away. They weren't zombie's, because they were still functioning and talking. But they could run and jump and do any normal human activity, just 10x as well.

during night, he'd be able to kill some of the monsters, but it seemed that they'd just multiply by the dozens overnight. During the day he was another faceless civilian. He worked under the monster's orders, watching as they stormed houses taking women and children away to be slaves, and killing the men and babies.

Oliver thought of Henry's child, a girl he thought, and decided to go look for her and the mom. He couldn't save the city, but he could save two lives.

At night, with his suit in a backpack, he made his way stealthily into Henry's neighborhood that was being patrolled by the monsters. He snuck into the house he thought was Henry's, to smell the stench of rotten flesh. He walked slowly, hating each creaking stair, and made his way to the bedrooms. He opened a door into a bedroom and gagged on the smell of death. On the ground was a woman, rotten beyond identification. He thought it was odd. The blood was fairly fresh. She couldn't have been dead for more than two days, but her body looked like it had been decaying for months. He heard a squeak in the closet, and opened the door to see a small girl cowering with fear. The light from outside showed Oliver the blood that covered the girl from head to toe in blood. Her face was smeared with blood and trails of her tears.

"Hey, I'm not going to hurt you." Oliver said in the kindest voice he could muster, but it still sounded harsh. That's what he got from not speaking for a week and years of hiding any vocal emotion. The girl flinched at his words and pressed against the wood like she was hoping to sink into it

"I knew your dad, I want to help. I'm not like those... monster's outside. I'm here to help." Oliver knelt down so he was eye level with the girl.

"He was a monster too." Was the girl's shaky reply.

Oliver heard a whoosh behind him, and turning quickly reaching for arrows that weren't there, he tensed up only too see The Flash, clad in red, vibrating on the other side of the room, lighting up the room slightly. When he stopped, he blended in with the shadows.

"Why are you here?" Oliver asked standing back up ready for anything.

  
"To get the girl. I could ask you the same question."

"She's the daughter of.. a friend of mine. Henry Allen."

"I know. I'm here sent by him."

"What's going on on the outside world?"

"Cities everywhere on the west coast have fallen. No word on if they're gone or not, the news can't pick up on them within a hundred yard distance. Only some have survived or haven't been taken over. Military is everywhere, but hasn't reached Central."

"Will she be safe there? Will she have a place to stay?" Oliver asked, worried about the girl, thinking of her as if she were Thea.

"Yes. She'll have a place to stay."

"Thank you." Oliver nodded his head and knelt down to the shaking girl and kindly and softly prodded her to get up and walk to The Flash.

The Flash reached his hand out for the girl to grab, but before he left, he looked back at Oliver. "I can take you back too."

"You just said Central was too crowded." Oliver couldn't help but point out the fact.

"I.. know someone you can stay with. It's not safe here anymore." The Flash said, and in the end Oliver agreed unwillingly. This was his city, and he failed it.

The Flash ran the girl out, and in a second came back to him. When all three were out of harms way of the city, the Flash handed Oliver a piece of paper with an address on it.

"Don't expect open arms, but it's a safe place." The Flash said and ran off with lightning trailing him.

Oliver stuffed the paper in his pocket and started his long trek to Central.

As he left, he heard a whirring noise like a machine engine being brought to life. The sound almost deafening his ears made him take cover as a strong blast of red heat ran across Starling.

\----

It felt like ages, but within a few days, Oliver made it to the address. He hadn't showered in almost two weeks, he stunk, he was covered in dust and sweat, and even in his fit state, he was shaking slightly from the long walk and sleepless nights.

He knocked on the door and stepped back to see Barry open it looking at him shocked, but also asking for an explanation.

"The Flash sent me." Oliver's voice was scratchy from not talking or drinking enough.

"I heard, but I didn't know it was you." Barry replied before letting Oliver in. "So I guess you're my new roommate?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally I got to the part where they're together. I can't wait to write future chapters.
> 
> To make things clear, they aren't friends and there will still be tension for a little bit.
> 
> As always, comments keep me going, I love reading and hearing what people think, even if it's not praise, it's helps.
> 
> I'm back at school so it will be a while till the next chapter :( but thank you all who have made it this far! I wouldn't be writing this fic without you guys' support


	21. Barry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry and Oliver's first weeks together and Barry's learning to cope

Barry was at STAR Labs with his new "friends" he supposed he could call them now.

Cisco was working on Barry's suit which to give more protection during impact, Caitlin was on her computers multitasking for signs of criminal activity as well as her day job, and Wells was teaching Barry how to build a small mechanism for a new tool Cisco was creating. Some cold gun or something. Barry didn't know the use, but he also didn't care enough to ask questions. Cisco created oddities all the time, this was no different. Except that Caitlin and Cisco would give concerned glances his way and Wells would look back at them when they thought Barry wasn't looking.

"Why do you guys keep looking at this like it's a bomb?" Barry finally asked. He didn't like being kept in the dark.

"Nothing..." Cisco lied through his teeth, "I just don't want you to break it."

 _Well, why don't you build it yourself? You're the fucking mechanic_ Barry was about to snap back, but his tongue because the argument was petty and could be left alone.

Caitlin still interrupted, just in case, and moved the conversation on a different path, "Barry, you never did tell us details on how Henry found _The Flash_ to ask to get his daughter or why you decided to get her."

"There's really nothing more to tell. You told me there was criminal activity in an alleyway, I ran to check it out and it was my dad with a knife taking on another man. He was drunk, the other man was drunk etcetera, and then somehow he started pleading with me to save his family from Starling. I went and the mom was dead, so I got Ava and now..." Barry sighed deeply as his voice became mumbled, "she's with him. I'll look for her soon."

Barry focused too much on the image of his dad and his wrecked state to even bother with the gun, messing up slightly and enough for Wells to yell at him to leave.

As he left, Caitlin followed him.  
"Barry, can I talk to you for a second?"  
Barry turned around looking at her soft features, crossing his arms, but letting her speak.

Caitlin played with her hands, but linked her fingers and rested them against her body before asking, "Are you going to take Ava in?"

"I don't know, why?" Barry watched her eyes trying to read his. He had thought about it.

"I just, I know about Henry," Caitlin looked down guiltily.

"What about him?" Barry asked in a calm, slow voice narrowing his eyes.

"I... looked into his files when I was looking into yours."

"You had no right to do that," Barry felt his skin heat up with anger.

"When you came to STAR Labs and we didn't know who you were! And I'm your doctor, I saw the scars. With your dad's record, I pieced them together."

"That's none of your business." Barry snapped, but hid his true emotions,"does anyone else know?"

"No."

Barry pushed back his want to say something spiteful, and backed away slowly, "thank you."

"Barry, I'm sorry, I—" Caitlin stuttered, her face as lost as her words.

"No, it's..." _it's not oka_ y, ".You already know, and I can't go back in time and change the past or anything" Barry shrugged off his frustration and left. He knew she meant no harm and it would be wrong to put his anger out on her, but if he could go back in time, he would have tried to prevent it from happening. In fact, he would have prevented a lot of things from happening if he had that power.  
\---

When he heard a knock on his door, he thought it was Joe or Iris, but Iris had her own key. When he opened it his throat closed up in shock as he froze to the floor to see Oliver's shaking form stand there, face caked with mud, outfit torn, and in general smelling like shit which made Barry step back slightly. He really wanted to know how Oliver was able to get from Starling to his place alive and in a week.

"The Flash sent me," Oliver said in a scratchy voice.

With a slight raise of his head, Barry acted surprised.

"I guess you're my new roommate?" Barry turned not knowing what else to say, wondering why he decided to invite Oliver to live with him last week. He racked his brain hard to find an answer, but couldn't come up with one.

"Yeah."

"You need a shower," Barry turned and looked at Oliver's trashed appearance. He led Oliver to the bathroom to get cleaned up and rummaged around his room for clothes that would fit the other man. He landed on sweat pants and an old black hoodie big enough for Oliver's arms.

When Iris still lived with him, she had her own room, and when she left to live with Eddie, Barry decided to keep the place in case Iris needed to crash somewhere that wasn't her home. The bed was already made, so Barry took Oliver's light backpack throwing it to the bottom end of the bed continuing to place the clothes he picked out for Oliver and placed them at the door of the bathroom.

Oliver Queen was in his apartment. The shock rolled over his body in a wave, a feeling of nausea starting from his stomach up to his head which pushed him to open some coconut rum, pouring himself a small glass. He didn't mix the alcohol with his own concoction to make himself actually drunk, but the taste and feeling, although short, was comforting enough for the moment. He got a glass of water for Oliver too.

He was nice like that.

Barry waited for the inevitable when Oliver finally stepped out, awkwardly wearing Barry's clothes standing awkwardly in the middle of the living room with his arms crossed looking around for a getaway.

"I have water for you," Barry scanned Oliver's figure slowly sipping his drink. Even clean, the guy looked like he went through hell.

Oliver took the offer, glancing at Barry and taking the drink from the table before continuing to look around the apartment.

"You can sit down if you want. I don't bite," Barry said looking at the empty seat across from him. He didn't know what he was doing.

They sat at each end of the table silently. Barry sat slumped in his seat, one hand resting on his lap while the other gripped his glass of rum on the table lightly. Oliver sat hunched over, exhausted, downing the water.

"Careful, too much water at a time isn't good if you haven't had it for a while," Barry said, stating a fact. He didn't care about Oliver, he just didn't want to add on a hospital visit on the same night.

Oliver stopped, stated that he knew that, but slowed down anyways.

Barry didn't try to stop from rolling his eyes.

The two sat in silence.

Barry fidgeted with his sleeves, his palms sweating and his senses heightening at each passing second.

The clock was too loud.

Water dripping from the sink was too deafening.

Oliver's breathing was too heavy.

Barry's own breathing unwillingly matching Oliver's unevenness.

"I'll show you where to sleep," Barry broke the silence when his senses were being thrown into overdrive.

Barry tossed and turned in his bed unable to find a comfortable position as he heard Oliver pacing the room all night. When he did finally drift off into a dreamless sleep, he woke up after what felt like minutes coated in sweat. 

The clock only read 6:18.

\---- 

"How'd you get to Central? Flash take you?" Barry asked not interested as he made a bowl of cereal for Oliver. Despite his emotions, he was still going to be hospitable. 

"No. I walked." Oliver leaned against the wall.

"Wow." Barry could only say passing the bowl, "I'm... surprised."

"I lived on an island alone for five years, I know how to survive."

Barry grunted in reply, only a little interested. "So there's not much here, but you can eat whatever. TV remote is on the sofa. Just stay out of my room," Barry instructed as he left the room.

Oliver moved to stand in front of the doorway, "Where are you going?"

"I have a job," Barry turned really needing to leave. He was already late.

"Where?" Oliver asked, trying to do the best he could making conversation. It just wasn't working.

"CCPD. Still a Forensic Scientist."

"Still?" Oliver asked not meaning what he said. He meant that because of Barry's coma, that he was surprised he could still have the job.

"Yeah," Barry said dryly taking Oliver's judgment with a grain of salt and walked out, not sure if he trusted Oliver to stay there alone.

\--

Barry knew he had trouble adjusting to a new roommate almost immediately, but he could deal. It wasn't Oliver personally, it was just another human being. After being alone for so long, every noise Oliver made kept Barry on edge.

Oliver was gone most afternoons and nights anyways and when he was there, the news was always on, rattling off names of the people who entered Central from places where cities have fallen.

Oliver kept to himself, and Barry kept to himself.

It was good.

He didn't want to cause more tension than there was so he let the irritating things go. Like how Oliver would pace aimlessly at night, screaming in his sleep sometimes, sometimes eat the food Barry was really looking forward to eating, slamming doors, walking back into the apartment too early in the morning, but it was okay.

His work helped him. He liked his job. Actually, he fucking loved it in an odd way nobody could relate to.

Science made sense to him. It was his mind's anchor from losing itself in its thoughts. It was mostly predictable.

People, on the other hand, they didn't make sense. They were a bundle of emotions and independence and secrets. In short, they were unpredictable.

He had his speed,

and his alcohol,

and his sex,

and his cigarettes.

He could ignore the judgemental looks Oliver gave whenever Barry pulled out cig or poured a drink.

It really was _okay_.

\---

Barry's agitation grew as the week drew on. Captain Singhs and Dr. Wells' constant nagging to get faster, Caitlin's optimism, Cisco's movie references, his sister being somewhere in the city, and him as the Flash. Although now that the notorious Arrow from Starling came to the city, The Flash's jobs were being unwillingly taken care of, and Barry couldn't do anything about it because he couldn't find the fucking vigilante to tell him off leaving Barry more time to pathetically wallow in his room.

What Barry could do was find a middle ground with Oliver. Talk to him at least. Humanize the man. So far, Oliver was just... _there_. He didn't serve a purpose, he was just a stranger. 

He could make it work if they just talked. 

He decided to be mature and talk to him when he walked into his home seeing Oliver watching the news.

"Did you want to watch TV or something? I can go back to the room or something..."

"No, no. It's all good. I can just... watch the news too." Barry said sitting on his seat adjacent to the couch Oliver sat on. The room was heavy with tension, Barry felt time slow down, and the lightning in him was sparking like broken wires from the tenseness and adding to the discomfort. Even the News reporter's voice seemed to warp into disgruntled and incoherent words.

"Why do you watch the News all the time?" Barry asked, trying to break the ice.

"It's interesting..." Oliver said, not wanting to say why he actually watched it.

The two went back into silence.

Oliver drew in a deep breath.

Barry did the same, biting his lip.

"Okay, I can't do this anymore," Barry said, breaking the silence. He couldn't stand being uncomfortable in the one and the only place he felt safe.

"Yeah?" Oliver looked at Barry, watching Barry like he was a grenade.

"I just... I can't..." There was no verbal way of expressing his thoughts. Barry didn't even know what he was feeling himself. "It's too tense and awkward."

"Yeah," Oliver agreed.

Oliver turned the TV off. Barry wished he didn't. At least then there was some kind of noise. Now there was...

nothing.

"Barry," Oliver said making Barry look at him. "I can leave if you want. I get it, it was probably hard for you to adjust to the new roommate thing last minute. And with our... past... I understand."

"It's not you... I mean it is you— Sorry, don't take that the wrong way. What I'm saying is... I just need to find a way to adjust to someone living with me."

"I know I haven't been the best person to live with either," Oliver said.

"I know, but I can be better too. I just live a certain lifestyle that's hard to live with someone living with me." Like being the Flash and always making up excuses for the random cuts and bruises and how they suddenly vanish.

"It's okay. Like I said, with our past, it's probably hard for you to process. I mean... you didn't choose for me to live with you. I guess you were kinda stuck with me."

"Do you have friends or family here?" Barry asked, finding in himself the goodness to help Oliver.

"I... I don't know. When I left Starling, I didn't know where any of my friends were or my sister. I need to find them, and I can't just stay here without doing nothing."

"That's why you watch the news then. To see if their names appear..."

"Yeah," Oliver said in a breathy quickness, looking down, studying something on the floor.

"I'm sorry," Barry mumbled quietly looking in the opposite direction.

"It's okay. I'll live." Oliver shifted in his seat, emotionally shifting his rising feeling of dread.

"If you need help, I can look them up at the station," Barry, not looking at Oliver, offered from the goodness he was able to dig up inside himself. 

"Thanks." Oliver looked at him, affording a moment of internal weakness to let hope seep in.

\-----

Oliver fidgeted all day while Barry was at work. He couldn't concentrate on anything. He focused on the conversation he had last night. He thought that he was getting to Barry finally. He couldn't help notice that Barry tensed when he brought up Henry. Which led to Barry saying he was in town. Oliver was looking for him. Because with him was his daughter. The sentence "He's a monster too" as well as Barry's attitude towards the man-made Oliver question Henry's father status. Finally, Barry walked into his apartment. He was barely in the room when Oliver walked up to him.

"I found Felicity," Barry said, but his tone and facial expression told Oliver it wasn't good news.

"Where is she?" Oliver asked, despite Barry's attitude, he couldn't help feeling relieved.

"Oliver..." Barry started.

"Where is she?" Oliver felt annoyance rush in as he involuntarily reached out to grab Barry by his shirt, pushing him against the wall. He felt himself slip into his alter ego.

"Don't _fucking_ touch me!" Barry yelled tensing up and pushing Oliver back.

"I'm sorry. That was out of line." Oliver didn't know what came over him. "I need to know where she is," He asked calmer.

"She's in the hospital."  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't decide whether I want to bring Diggle back. I love his character, but I don't know if I want to write him.  
> More backstory is coming soon.
> 
> I have a question to ask,  
> Why do you guys like this story? I write it, but it's so humorless(I'm fixing that somewhat soon) and Barry's so moody I don't understand lol.  
> Anyways, thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are great, they keep me going.


	22. Oliver

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A continued conversation from the last chapter. Barry and Oliver are in the apartment talking.  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I forgot if I mentioned this, but imagine their apartment in the style of Chandler and Joey's from FRIENDS)

Oliver closed his eyes sighing in relief feeling some of the weight lifted off of his shoulders.

_Felicity was alive._

"I need to see her," Oliver reached to grab his coat when Barry stopped him with bad news.

"She's being kept in a restricted area."

"Why?" Oliver snapped accidentally, watching Barry step back.

"You probably've seen or heard of it on the news, but anyone who is coming from overrun cities is being checked for possible threats of the civilians here."  Barry mumbled.

" _Virus?_ " Oliver asked, only hearing bits and pieces on the news about it. "What are you talking about? You need to tell me," Oliver demanded.

Oliver studied Barry's facial expressions: The way he averted his gaze and bit his lip indicating he was pondering whether to tell. After a moment of pondering, Barry finally spilled, "There are uh... bodies showing up that are decayed and they don't match the normal decaying process with the blood found around the bodies. There were rumors that this is how a lot of major cities were wiped out. People in this city think it's a virus carried from survivors from those cities."

Oliver's mind drifted. His thoughts flew from _why wasn't the news covering this_ to I wonder how to sneak into the hospital as a civilian without being seen. Going into the hospital as the Arrow was a no. That was too much un-needed attention. _In STAR only the police would have been able to go into the restricted areas for specific needs._ He almost forgot Barry was standing with arms crossed right across the kitchen counter from him.

"Barry," Oliver started in a low and slow voice.

"I know what you're gonna ask—" Barry started shaking his head, walking back towards the door reaching back to grip the handle. 

"I know," Oliver took a deep breath, swallowing his pride for a little bit longer, "I know I've been asking for a lot, but can I ask for one more favor?"

He didn't like asking Barry for help. It wasn't because Barry was intimidating, but because he was a little bitch. It was like pulling teeth, but finally, Barry agreed to help with a begrudging "fine".

As soon as possible the next day, Oliver waited impatiently outside the precinct until Barry, with a box hanging by his side, walked out. Barry looked surprised to see Oliver standing there, a scowl crossing his face when he realized that when Oliver said "after work" he meant literally. They hastily walked in silence since Barry apparently didn't have a car, finding themselves in the waiting room of the hospital no more than 10 minutes later.

Oliver stood in the waiting room examining the people in case of danger while Barry pulled out his ID, showing it to the nurse at the desk introducing himself with the excuse, "I was asked to get a sample from some of your safer patients from Starling City."

Oliver, keeping his face neutral, was a little impressed at the professionalism Barry produced. His frown turning into a smile. 

"What for?" the woman's dry, uninterested voice asked.

"Uh..." Barry rubbed his hands together, "there were some unexplained occurrences from some of the bodies dropped, and I just need some samples to see if people who are uh... eligible—no, who could have the virus. You know, to see if anything matches."

Oliver listened impatiently as Barry and the nurse argued with one another till the nurse finally caved in.   _If she only lasted ten minutes against Barry, she wouldn't have lasted on the island for more than a week_ Oliver thought, quickly re-directing his thoughts from the past where he felt himself slipping into.

"Fine, you can go in, but your friend there stays." The woman looked at Oliver as if trying to see where she would have seen him before. 

"He's my partner." Barry broke in, averting her attention back to him. 

The nurse looked back at Oliver, "ID?"

"Yeah, _partner_ , where is your ID?" Barry asked, enjoying the discomfort with a slight smirk on his face.

Oliver stood gritting his teeth with a forced smile, looking at Barry who frowned and shrugged stating, "I did my part," leaving Oliver on his own in mild discomfort.

"No ID, no entrance," The nurse blatantly said.

Oliver opened his mouth to wing it when he heard Barry sigh, "He's new," Barry explained, placing his hands on the desk lazily "and stupid," he looked at Oliver squinting a little and tilting his head, "why can't you do _anything_ right?"

Oliver crossed his arms, his stubbornness wanting to get the best of him, but instead, replied dryly, "I'm sorry. I'll remember it next time."

" _Ohhh_ _no_ ," Barry shook his head, a laugh in his snarky tone, and looking at Oliver with a death glare, "there isn't gonna _be_ a "next _" time_ ,"

"Like I said boys, no ID no—"

"Listen," Barry turned deadly serious, his face seeming to morph into a murderous glare, making Oliver raise his eyebrows in surprise, a new and slightly darker personality of Barry peeping through, "I'm— _we're_ on a tight schedule and we really need those samples. The sooner we can get them the sooner we're out. You wouldn't want to be the reason more innocent people die, right? You could be the cause of a lot of deaths just because of a stupid ID."

The two had a glaring contest before the lady broke and got a nurse to hand them masks and gloves and led them to the restricted area. Oliver nodded impressed but slightly concerned at how Barry treated the situation, even if he was doing this for him.

In Oliver's mind, his thoughts jumped like a flea to horrible conclusions about the virus. He didn't know what it was and didn't like being unprepared for something. It was against his primal instincts. They only hinted at it on the news because it was a "new" thing. He didn't like new.

They finally found Felicity's room and Barry convincing the nurse with a little flirting to let them in alone.

Oliver and Barry walked in slowly, the stench of ammonia strong, making his eyes want to tear up and the sound of the machines beeping loudly. Felicity was hooked up to iv's and a lot of other machinery, reading a magazine.

"Oliver!" Felicity exclaimed hoarsely, but her face lighting up, "...and _Barry_!"

Barry gave her a small smile and nod, walking to the window with his hands in his coat pockets.

"What happened? Are you okay?" Oliver pulled up a chair next to her bed, her presence calming his thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just this stupid hospital keeping me here under surveillance in case I carry the virus," Felicity rolled her eyes and smiled, "I don't, it's just safety"

Oliver looking over and wishing Barry wasn't standing in the corner of the room looking out the window like a shadow that wasn't supposed to be there.  
He wanted— _needed_ the privacy.

Oliver looked over at Barry who looked back over his shoulder with an uncomfortable look on his face, leaving the room without so much of an explanation with long strides.

Felicity gave Oliver an odd look silently telling him to spill.

Oliver wanted to talk about Felicity and his friends instead of Barry but looked down biting his cheek, scoffing at the ridiculousness of his situation. He recalled his week living with Barry and how the guy was visibly a mess, but also how he was grateful that Barry let him live with him.

"He's... interesting... but not... _too_ bad." Oliver had to admit. Barry already did so much for him.

"How many times have you wanted to put an arrow through him?" Felicity asked in her serious tone.

"I lost count," Oliver replied dryly replaying in his mind all the times Barry got on his last nerves.

"Give him a chance. He's actually really kind and funny."

"You haven't lived with him," Oliver replied in a monotone voice. 

"I'm just saying give him a chance, wait, did I already say that? I think I did," Felicity placed her hand on Oliver's arm reassuringly, " But you get the point?"

"Yeah.."

"Talk to him. Go out and get drinks together. Whatever men do to bond."

"It's going to take something supernatural to get to know him," Oliver muttered.

Oliver changed the topic hating how he saw Felicity's face change from happy to scared. She explained in detail how she and Diggle ran but got trapped in a house outside of the city for a week and a half, but then escaped when ARGUS made a daring rescue mission for a group of people.

"When we got here, there were already setting up medical stations a mile away from the city to see check people for a virus or something. Diggle and I were separated. He got a different result than I did I guess."

"Thea?" Oliver asked, not knowing if he wanted an answer. The monsters were going after people who ran big business' and people who were associated with them, and Thea was in the crowd...

She didn't know.

"Hey, it's okay." Oliver felt a small sense of relief in spite of all the gut-sinking dread. _Not knowing meant she could be alive_. He reached for her hand, stroking her thumb with his comfortingly praising her softly at how brave she is.  

"So tell me what's been going on with _the_ _Arrow_ ," Felicity piped up changing topics, forcing a smile and arching her eyebrow. "I hear he's making appearances once in a while."

Felicity's smile relaxed into a more natural state as she tilted her head. Listening to how Oliver used crime fighting to help him concentrate and also complain about The Flash and how he was doing a sucky job keeping his city safe.

The two were sucked into reality when Barry opened the door saying they should leave. Oliver left wistfully unable to look away from her body on a hospital bed until he was out of the room promising to see her soon.

-  
Oliver never knew what Barry did at the hospital. He wanted to ask, but one look from Barry told him to stay quiet. Around 11 pm, Oliver, alone as usual in the apartment, was counting the rest of his cash he managed to scrape up before he left Starling to get another pair of jeans and maybe a couple more T-shirts. The TV was on as background noise when the alarm broke out on the news. Oliver turned to see that the hospital where Felicity was staying was in danger.

He suited up hastily and ran using the top of buildings to reach the hospital the quickest, feeling a strange energy surge through him allowing him to run faster, jump a longer distance from rooftop to rooftop, and not feel fatigued at all. In fact, he was barely breaking a sweat. He couldn't dwell on this.

When he arrived to the hospital, the Flash ran in as well. The distance from the rooftop he was on to the Hospital was impossible to jump. With ease, Oliver jumped from the rooftop he was on, feeling himself almost flying as he shot an arrow to the top of the Hospital building, holding onto the wire to crash into a window and rolling into an empty hospital room. Unusually not out of breath, he ran up to the floor Felicity was on halting when he got to her room.

The door was caved in and her bed was empty with only fresh blood on her sheets indicating that someone even occupied the room.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like this chapter!
> 
> Kudos and Comments are great, the more the merrier. They keep me going and make my day and I can't believe this story is almost to 400 kudos.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who commented on my last chapter. it really helped my confidence for this story. And thank you to all who have read up to this point!
> 
> Un-beta-ed ( I don't know if I have one anymore or not...)


	23. Barry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Problems from Starling appear in Central

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not Beta read

After the hospital visit with Oliver, Barry ran to STAR Labs.

When he arrived, Caitlin and Dr. Wells were on the computers while Cisco was drawing out plans on how to build and construct a new toy that helps detect meta humans.

Barry carefully took out the DNA samples he collected using Caitlin's small lab to start processing. Even though she gave him permission for access, Barry felt like he was intruding on private property. He didn't like the floor to ceiling windows. It wasn't the closed off comfy lab he was used to and he caught himself always looking over his shoulder paranoid that his friends and Dr. Wells were looking at him. While he was processing samples, Caitlin and Cisco questioned him about Oliver. He half-heartedly laughed whenever he remembered something that ticked him off in the moment. Even though he was putting Oliver in a semi-good light and throwing him under the bus on occasion, he couldn't help smile and laugh as his friends low key fangirled that the ex-multi-billionaire Oliver was living with The Flash.

The conversation was interrupted by the alarm system causing Barry to jump, the sound especially loud in the enclosed area. He ran to the computers to see the outside of the hospital with lights flickering and people running out any available exit. Cisco typed away on the keyboard hacking into the hospital's security cameras just in time to see a man dressed in a SWAT uniform and helmet. Barry's mind flew back to Starling City where men who looked like the one on the camera flooded the city streets. Whatever was going o

-

When entering the hospital, the stench of fresh blood and rotting bodies triggered his gag reflex. He attempted to focus on the directions Cisco was giving him to track the meta, but the trail of decayed corpses he passed was too distracting. The people screaming in agony, bones crunching as the skin melted off of them, and blood seeping out of every pore, made Barry's hairs stand on end and his stomach churn. His feet betrayed him as they tripped over each other from a wave of nausea building in his chest. His hand shot out to steady himself against the wall as he lurched over, his vision blurred as his body felt like it was floating. Barry described what was laid out in front of him to the team and settled on the idea they were dealing with a metahuman. 

"You have to focus," Dr. Wells instructed calmly, "block out your surroundings and focus on running."

Breathing heavily and forcing himself to stop shaking, he blinked a couple times as images of the corpses invaded his mind. continued on knowing that for every second he wasted, someone else could and would die. 

Cisco led him to the section of the hospital where the people from Starling City were kept. Barry slid to a halt when he saw patients screaming on the other side of the doors, banging and pounding with their fists as they attempted to escape. Barry tried opening the doors realizing that brute force wasn't going to help.  

"Guys!" Barry shouted, placing one hand to his comm so Cisco and Caitlin could hear him over the screaming, "There's a bunch of people trapped in there and I can't break the door."

"If the doors are automatic, I can try to unlock it. Hang on," Cisco replied immediately.

"Barry, are you sure that's a good idea?" Dr. Wells asked.

"What do you mean?" Barry breathed heavily, stepping back. He heard footsteps behind him and turned just in time to dodge a chair thrown his way. Barry looked to see two metas, dressed identically, walking towards him in no rush.

"There's two of them," He breathed heavily, his body tense.

The meta on the right reached for him, and that's when he noticed a device attached to his palm pulsing with a blue light. Barry dodged the touch noticing the man wasn't after him. He watched the men walk through the locked doors as if there was nothing there. The people's screams increased. Barry ran to the doors frantically vibrating his hands, attempting to rattle the bolts loose. He felt a force push against the door causing the floor to vibrate and make him lose balance. A red substance hit against the glass and seeped from under the doors for a second before dissolving into the air.

He looked back to see people on the ground, assumingly from whatever caused the red substance and the man causing certain people to melt when he touched their forehead with the mechanism in his hand. He saw an arrow pierce one of the men's uniforms as the Arrow himself emerged from a hospital room immediately engaging in hand to hand combat.

"I need to get in there and I need to get these people out," Barry rammed into the door with his whole body, using every ounce of strength and will he could muster.

"I can't let you help these people out, but I there is a way to get in," Dr. Wells said ominously.

Barry wanted to argue. He was in this tight ass suit to help and save people, and Dr. Wells was keeping him from it. He decided to let the argument go and listen to his team.

"You have to vibrate at the frequency of air. Your cells at that rate should be in a state of excitement allowing to faze through the door," Cisco instructed.

"Your molecules can "slip" through the matter," Caitlin simplified.

"And if I hit the door?"

"Then you die," Dr. Wells replied bluntly, "I have faith in you. You can do this."

Barry breathed heavily, swallowing, not letting the self-doubt seep through. People were relying on him. He closed his eyes and started running back and forth, focusing on the energy traveling through him until he ran through the doors, feeling like he ran through a slightly thicker liquid than water except that water passed through his body instead of just his skin. Barry decided that while the Arrow was battling the men, he'd get the people out whether Dr. Wells liked it or not. He had no combat training and the Arrow had it covered so helping the patients were the only thing he really could do. He started vibrating again, picking up the patients and running through the door placing them safely on the other side.

"Barry! What are you doing?" Dr. Wells asked angrily.

"What I need to do," Barry responded, turning his comm off so he didn't have to hear Dr. Wells reprimand him.

Once he finished getting the patients out of harm's way on the other side of the door, he looked to see if the Arrow needed help. Barry turned just to see a chair being thrown at the Arrow while the Arrow released an arrow at the same time. The man caught the weapon effortlessly and acted to kill the Arrow. Barry felt a jolt of electricity envelope his body as his vision turned yellow with hate for this man who killed dozens of innocents in minutes. He ran, getting the Arrow out of the way as he felt the weapon pierce his right clavicle. He bit his tongue to keep a scream from escaping his throat falling to the ground on his left side. Through squinted eyes he watched the man deteriorate as the Arrow thrust an arrow through the man's throat, causing the man to deteriorate into a pile of clothing. 

Barry vibrated and forced himself on his knees, sweating from pain and reaching to try taking the arrow out of him. He looked up to see a gloved hand near his face, and looking further up saw the shadowed hood of the Arrow. Warily, Barry grabbed his hand and let himself be helped up.

"If you can, get someone else to take the arrow out. The tip could detach and get stuck in your shoulder," The gravelly voice of the Arrow instructed before he left.

Barry stood up shakily, his mind not able to process everything clearly. He scanned the room; the broken chairs and doors with cracks and blood decorating the walls. He stepped over the corpses, wincing as each step hurt his shoulder, and carefully picked up what the man had on his palm. The thing was still pulsing blue. He turned his comms back on ready to hear Dr. Wells yell at him.

"Barry, are you alright?" He heard Caitlin's worry over the comms.

"I just saved the Arrow's life."

-

"You could have been killed," Wells stated the obvious as Barry laid on the hospital bed safe at STAR Labs.

Caitlin was examining the wound to locate the arrowhead before she could remove it.

"I had to help them," Barry panted feeling the pain radiating from his shoulder. He whimpered and moved, feeling the arrowhead aggravate the wound.

"You have to think about the bigger picture. Possible spreading virus contained in those walls," Dr. Wells ignored Barry's pain, "You may have let something out you didn't want to let out."

"That's not an easy decision," Cisco sided with Barry, making sure the trinket Barry brought back was safe. 

"Heroes can't make easy decisions. That's what a hero does. They have to make the hard decisions," Dr. Wells softened his voice, going into father mode, "No matter, it's done. When something goes wrong, you can clean up the mess. It'll be good practice for you."

"Listen, we can burn that bridge when or if it's built," Barry groaned and grit his teeth when Caitlin lightly pushed down on the injury, forcing himself to stay still.

"If it weren't for the Arrow, who I saved, by the way, a lot more people would have died tonight," Barry glared at Dr. Wells.

"Ah yes, the Arrow. What are you— We going to do about him?"

"He's protecting the city, I don't see it as a problem," Barry made a face, confused as to why Dr. Wells didn't approve.

"He's doing the jobs you're supposed to be doing."

"He doesn't need help obviously and gets the job done much better than me anyway," Barry said frowning slightly shrugging his shoulders.

"More training and you'll be better than you already are," Caitlin tried assuring Barry,

"Besides, he has years on you."

"Yeah, dude you're the Flash! He's just a man with a bow and arrow," Cisco added happily.

"You still catch the bad guys. The... Arrow?" Caitlin furrowed her brow at the name, "He catches some, but he doesn't catch them all. Just because... well we already said this, but just because he has more experience doesn't mean you're useless."

Barry scoffed at Caitlin's attempt to make him feel better.

"You'd rather be a lonely forensic scientist than using your powers?" Dr. Wells judged, the spite clear in his voice. "Ignore the gift given to you and waste it on sex and drugs. Some people would kill to have the power to run, much less walk fast, and it's wasted on you."

Barry felt his gut drop and his heart stop.

The words stung and hit him deeply.

"But—" he started to defend himself.

"But nothing. You're going to shut up and stop complaining. I'm sick of hearing you always beating yourself up just accept your gift for once and be thankful for it."

"Dr. Wells... I..." Barry furrowed his eyebrows opening his mouth, but closing it since he knew that anything he said would be discarded and that Dr. Wells was right. He felt guilty for doubting himself, then felt guilty for complaining. Then he felt guilty for feeling guilty.

"I'm going to dislodge the arrow now, it's going to hurt," Caitlin warned, telling him how the procedure will go. "Cisco, hold him down."

Barry nodded wordlessly, starting to scream when Caitlin made the first incision in his skin.

\---

"If you think about it, I'm kinda useless with the Arrow around," Barry said, laying on Iris' couch. He couldn't go back to his apartment yet without Oliver being suspicious and he didn't have the energy to lie. His body hurt too much anyway.  

"This Dr. Wells sounds like a dick," Iris scrunched her nose in disgust sitting down with her own cup of coffee, "What he said isn't fair!"

"But it's true. Barry looked down feeling doubt in his decision to be a hero. He wasn't hero material anyways. "Maybe I should just let him keep doing this. Maybe I should just hang up the suit..."

"You doubt yourself too much. Just because this vigilante is better than you or gets the job done doesn't mean you're lesser than him, he may be known for keeping Starling safe, but look at that city now. And he thinks he can just come in and take over what's yours to protect? This is your city, Barry." Barry looked down smiling at Iris' words. She always had a way of comforting him and knowing exactly what to say. He looked up adoring every ounce of her wondering what he did right to be blessed to be part of her life.

"I can't be The Flash while working with Dr. Wells."

"What do you think you're going to do?"

"Go solo if I have to." 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know you guys are reading this for Oliver/Barry and from the chapter after the next one and on I'm gonna focus 9/10 of the attention on them developing together.
> 
> I didn't mention Felicity on purpose, I didn't forget about her.
> 
> Comments and kudos are great, they keep me motivated.
> 
> over 400 kudos! Thank you so much guys!


	24. Oliver

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Problems from the Hospital find their way to Barry's appartment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized I started this story from their high school days and am going to definitely draw from that. 
> 
> Present day would be 2017 ( I don't know how that figures out cause I started this in 2016, but I guess it does...?)

**2011**

“Focus, Barry,” Joe instructed.

Barry sighed in clear frustration, holding the gun in front of him attempting to aim, “I’m trying.”

“Remember, don’t focus on the target, but the spot where you’re aiming.”

“I am. It’s blurry.” Barry complained.

“It’s supposed to be like that. Focus on your front sight,” Joe crossed his arms, patiently waiting. He was here because Barry didn’t want to feel helpless.

Barry grit his teeth. He had years to train to have patience while frustrated, but each missed shot was testing his limits. He made sure the gun was aligned correctly and any anxious feeling put on the back burner before he placed his finger on the trigger.

Feeling the cold metal move with his finger, the loud bang followed. 

Barry didn’t want to look at another missed shot, but a hand on his shoulder and the proud look on Joe’s face made Barry look and see that he was within an inch of where he aimed.

 

**Present day**

Oliver wanted to run to Starling and go against every monster that caused this destruction. He should be out on the streets fighting crime, but his arrows were running low, and he couldn't waste them because of his anger. If this was his apartment, everything would be broken right now. 

He wanted to punch someone, let his boiling rage out. He thought of yelling at Barry but quickly retaliated that thought. It would just be high school 2.0. He was past that. Barry wasn't a punching bag and definitely didn't deserve being yelled at after letting Oliver live with him despite their past. 

To distract Oliver from thinking of the hospital scene and his friends, he cleaned the dishes furiously.

Once… twice… and was starting the third round when Barry walked in looking beaten and close to tears, the faint scent of ammonia on him. 

He knew Barry was at the crime scene. Oliver felt for him in an odd way. When Barry walked back from the crime scene, Oliver could tell from the body language and facial expression that Barry was troubled by the site. Without talking, Barry went to the bathroom turning the shower on. Oliver could have sworn he heard quiet gasps for breath. Crying. 

He lived on an island for five years being trained to kill so he was used to death and carnage. Even though he saw the bodies decomposing at the hospital and as upsetting as it was, Barry was only there for to see the end result. Oliver saw the process of the decaying bodies as he battled the bastard that killed them. It was one of the goriest scenes he stumbled upon which said something.

He heard a knock on the door. Opening it, he saw a girl on the other side holding a coat. She looked familiar when it hit him that this was Iris, who, If he remembered correctly, was always with or near him in high school. She grew up to be beautiful, but the look on her face was a mixture of surprise and suspicion.

"What are you doing here?" She crossed her arms and shifted her weight onto one foot.

"I... live here. Iris, right?" Oliver furrowed his brows. Barry had to have told her about him.

"Yeah…" Iris furrowed her brows as well, "I was just looking for Barry, is he here?" 

Before Oliver could answer Barry walked out of his room, stopping when he saw them standing at the door. He couldn't see Iris' face, but seeing Barry's, he had an idea that Barry was in trouble.

"I can walk out for a bit," Oliver looked back at Iris, giving her a small nod and smile to which she returned. As she walked past Oliver caught a scent of a fresh, ocean perfume on her. 

-

When Oliver walked around the apartment complex, he got a text from an unknown number. He looked at the text which read,

_Trouble -F_

Felicity.

It had to be. Oliver looked around, getting the feeling he was being watched. The text could be a trap. Looking around, he noticed a couple sketchy people, but nothing too out of the ordinary. He rerouted himself back to the apartment, seeing nobody following him directly, but still unable to shake the feeling. It was only until he was inside the apartment a man rushed at him, almost touching Oliver. 

Oliver ran up the stairs, hearing the man running behind him. He felt the same warmth he felt while running to the hospital fill his chest as he ran, not feeling like he was exerting himself. He thanked God that Barry lived on the third floor.

When he reached the hall, he started shouting, "Barry! Open the door! Open the door! Open the damn door!"

The door opened as Oliver saw a confused Iris and Barry look at him as the man entered the hallway running at full speed. Oliver barely made it through the door to slam and lock it before he felt the force of the man's body slam against the door.

In unison, Barry and Iris rushed to the door putting his whole weight on it as well. With Iris on the other side of Barry, she unintentionally pushed Barry up against him.

He was surprised how the two weren't surprised. Like this was something that happened every day for them.

"I don't—" Oliver realized that the text was traced. He knew that it was Felicity, and the pieces fit together. The second man that entered the hospital took her for some reason. Maybe it was for her hacking skills? He had to find out.

"Oliver!" Barry yelled, his eyes widening before narrowing when cracks started forming in the wood. They weren't going to make it much longer.

Oliver was tempted to run and grab his bow and arrows and blow his cover to save all of them.

"I..." Oliver trailed off as an extra forceful blow to the door happened.

"I hate you. I _actually_ hate you," Barry stared at Oliver evenly, hate not actually present in his eyes, but a new level of annoyance.

"Is there anything to fend him off? He's gonna break this door!" Iris snapped Barry back into the present situation. 

Barry looked over at Iris and said something that Oliver couldn't catch, the roar of the man outside drowning out the noise created inside.

Iris asked a question and Oliver noticed the worry in her eyes. With a nod, Iris left and ran into Barry's room.

"Do you trust me?" Barry asked through gritted teeth before smiling wistfully at himself, "That's funny, no you don't, but you have to right now. When I say so, open the door.”

Oliver didn’t trust him and looked at him questioningly as Iris ran back out of the room with a gun in her hand handing it to Barry taking his place as hastily walked back, raising the gun aiming towards the door.

The door was splintering now, and the man started laughing. 

"You can't shoot to injure, you have to kill him," Oliver warned wondering if Barry knew what he was doing. On another topic, he shouldn't have found it hot to see Barry aiming a gun, his hands almost steady.  

"I know," Barry said simply, tilting his head to crack his neck and breathing, the gun steadying in his hands. 

"You have to hit him in the head. He doesn't have a mask on." Oliver cursed himself mentally, wondering if he accidentally slipped up. Why would he know that info? He'd think about an excuse if he survived.

Worry and doubt set in Oliver's gut, wondering if Barry could hit the target, especially if the target was moving.

Barry licked his lips and nodded, and Oliver let go of the door. The door flew open, and Oliver grabbed Iris to pull her back as the door hit her roughly on her arm as the man stormed in.

_Bang!_

Barry shot the gun, not once, but twice. The first bullet hit the man's right eye, and the second buried itself right in the middle of the man's forehead before the man even took five steps into the room.

Oliver stood rigid in shock.

He never thought Barry had it in him to kill.

And he was a damn good shot.

He looked at Barry, who was shaking but quickly composed himself nicely. Iris ran to Barry and put an arm around him as all three watched the man dissipate into goo. Oliver watched the two interact with small, wordless gestures: Iris hugging Barry tightly around the chest, and Barry's arm wrapped around her, protecting her and carding his fingers through her hair, making her feel safe.

Oliver's heart panged in sorrow. He missed Thea, wondering if she were alive or not. He stood awkwardly feeling invisible. 

For a room so eerily quiet, every noise seemed to increase in volume. The _tap, tap, tap,_ of the water dripping from the sink mixed with the A/C's low hum as it blew cold air swirling around the room. Barry's stuttering breath, the squeak of Iris' heels whenever she moved slightly, police sirens slowly growing louder outside. 

Soon footsteps were heard as the Detective, Joe, and a couple police men came. Iris ran to meet Joe's embrace, hugging him tightly. After Iris, Joe walked up to Barry, who hadn't moved, and hugged him as well, just not as long. Oliver forced his walls up, steadying his facial features to mask the loss he was feeling, remembering when both of his parents were alive.

For the first time since Starling, Oliver truly wanted his mom. He missed her. He was so caught up in Felicity, Diggle, and Thea, he forced himself not to think of his mom. Because his mom was dead, and she wasn't coming back. With his friends though, at least he could keep hope. 

When Joe recognized Oliver, Oliver got a well deserved side-eye glare. All three were taken to the police department to get a statement. They kept Barry a little longer since he was the shooter and the forensic scientist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally going to be one chapter, but I split it up into two. The next chapter should be out sometime within 24 hours (hopefully). Hint: Oliver and Barry have a heart to heart moment next chapter
> 
> I honestly love writing this story and I'm so glad you guys like reading it :)
> 
> Kudos and Comments are lovely, they keep me motivated and make me really happy. If you have questions about the story, I can answer. 
> 
> Here's a short timeline that helps place an age on them  
> 2004: 12  
> 2010: 18  
> 2011: 19  
> 2017: 25
> 
>  
> 
> *** Anyone who reads Mischief, do you like it enough for me to continue? I have that on the back burner since this is the more popular requested story


	25. Barry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A small heart to heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm surprised I was able to get this out honestly.  
> Hope you enjoy!

 

****_Murderer._

That is what he was.

_Innocent people died because of his failure._

_A man died and he didn't even second guess before pulling the trigger._

He didn't want to see decomposed bodies ever again, hell, he didn't want to go the hospital ever again, but he had to. It was his job.

But now there was a man's body in his apartment. 

_A man that he killed_

_because it was his job._

Holding onto Iris' shaking body, he remained calm despite the flashbacks of the melted corpses he had to get samples from. He jumped when the body on the ground moved as it slowly decomposed, it's jelly skeleton with flesh dripping from the bones reaching out to him with whatever arm they had left whispering, "you killed us".

Barry backed up blinking, the body in his mind again still and lifeless as it deteriorated into the floor.

Barry avoided all people except Joe and Iris at all cost while at the precinct, his stomach doing backflips as he had to look at the bodies up close. It didn't matter how many words Joe used or how many hugs Iris gave in attempts to console him, he couldn't shake the guilty feeling from his mind. 

Barry didn't know how to feel. The intense feeling of guilt built in his stomach, but no tears came. He stayed professional and strong for the sake of his integrity and Iris, keeping his emotions at bay until he ran home.

He slammed the door shut and went to grab a bottle of alcohol that was 2/3rds full and that already had his concoction mixed in with it. He was drinking Vodka, but his concoction made the drink have the same value as Everclear times 5. It was the only way he was able to feel and stay drunk as long as a normal human. Taking a swig from the bottle, he grabbed clothes from his room and locked himself in the bathroom, turning the shower on Barry stripped and stood under the warm water trying to relax when a horrible image of the water turning into the corpse's gooey substance made Barry's heart jump up to his throat as he scurried out of the shower not caring about all the water he was getting on the floor.

He crawled back until he sat in the corner of the small room staring at the shower, which was now just cascading clear, clean water and steam building up from the heat. He bent his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around them making himself as small as possible.

_Murderer._

That's what he was.

He couldn't feel anything, and suddenly he felt everything. His senses heightened as he felt a panic attack rising. A couple of tears turned into uncontrollable crying and incoherent thoughts as his chest started closing up. He felt the sweat trickle down his forehead into his eyes, blurring his vision as his heart pounded painfully against his chest.

I _t's just a panic attack, You've had them before_ He reasoned.

But each time was just as scary as the first

And each time he was scared shitless

His mouth was dry so licking his lips wasn't very effective as he started focusing on the steam surrounding him, how it made his skin feel, the water droplets falling down his skin, trickling down his back, his face, his chest. He focused to calm himself, breathing in deeply and holding his breath to steady his heartbeat.

He thought positive thoughts, mostly of Iris and her voice, and even Cisco and Caitlin. He shared good moments with them. 

He was back in control, but his stomach still churned. Without warning, he felt himself about to throw up and leaned to the toilet and heaved up the bile that clawed painfully up his throat. Ignoring the acidic taste in his mouth, he felt slightly relieved, the sickening feeling gone replacing nausea, dizziness, and exhaustion. He stood, feeling the nausea travel up his body till it hit the top of his skull, making him stumble and slip. He reached out frantically to grab the sink, but accidentally knocked a glass candle holder on the ground and banging his head against the wall as he slumped down against it. 

\---

Oliver laid in his bed drinking the pack of beers he picked up on his way back from the precinct. He hadn’t drunk on almost two months, so he felt tipsy quicker than usual when he heard Barry walk in, slamming the door hard enough for the objects in his room to rattle.

_Barry_

Oliver knew that killing a man can take a toll on a person. Barry wasn't a nobody to him anymore, and he thought it was about time to befriend Barry since it seemed like moving out of the apartment wasn't going to happen anytime soon. What better way to start a friendship than to give support?

Oliver was thinking when the best time to see if Barry was okay when he heard a loud crash coming from the bathroom.

Oliver hurried out of his room and called out, but no answer came. Ignoring privacy, Oliver rammed the door in to see some blood on the side of the sink and the water on the ground to place the pieces together and Barry naked and leaning against the wall staring into space with blood trickling down the left side of his face, his right hand slack and resting on his sprawled out legs and a bottle of vodka in the other. 

He looked like absolute shit.

Barry was leaning against the wall resting his head, his eyes were red and staring off into space not even acknowledging Oliver. His cheeks were blotchy and his lower lip quivered but was hidden when Barry bit it. He was ignoring the blood but managed to raise the shaky bottle to lips.

Overall he looked exhausted. 

“Barry…” Oliver said with caution, eyeing Barry’s face to respect privacy while walking forwards slowly. He started sweating, the warm steam making the small bathroom too hot. He turned the water off and placed his attention back on Barry. He had to see if the head wound needed medical attention. The lack of response made Oliver worry that it was. Oliver didn't want to go back to the hospital at all costs. 

Oliver was about two feet away when Barry tensed and hissed, “Go away.”

“Your head is bleeding, I need to look at it.” Oliver stopped though, waiting to see if Barry was going to put up a fight. Instead, he relaxed and sunk into the wall. 

Barry clenched his jaw ignoring his growing headache, “I’m fine.”

“Sure, you are,” Oliver crossed his arms standing and looking at the top of Barry’s head and not straying downwards. He acted like he didn't care, but he did. Deep, deep down. 

Barry looked away as Oliver knelt next to Barry reaching out, but stopped when Barry moved his head, flinching away. taking Barry’s chin lightly in his hand to turn his head and thanked God that the wound was just a shallow cut, nothing that was hospital worthy.

"I need to look at the wound," Oliver explained and tried again, this time taking Barry’s chin lightly in his hand to turn his head and thanked God that the wound was just a shallow cut. Nothing that was hospital worthy.

“I’m going to get the first aid kit… you can get dressed… if you want,” Oliver stood and said, watching Barry just numbly drink. Killing the man must have taken more out of him than Oliver thought.

Barry flashed into his underwear and sweats, staying shirtless (because it would stick to his skin and make him feel claustrophobic) and sat back down. His emotions drained him despite the speed filling him up with slight energy. If he had a concussion, his powers would take care of that in minutes. He sat and drank too much too fast, but he was too desperate to care. Barry didn't want to face what he did. It didn't matter what Joe and Iris said to comfort him, he killed a man and second handily killed many others. Human beings with a name, a story, a  _life_. Now Oliver found him and he didn’t know what was more humiliating: Oliver seeing him in a weak position or him naked.  

When Oliver came back with the first aid kit, he washed his hands and treated Barry's head wound properly, pressing a warm washcloth over the cut.

"How do you feel?" Oliver's slightly softer tone stunned Barry on many levels. He didn't know what to do with Oliver being nice. He supposed he hit his head too hard and was now dreaming. 

"I feel like I want to get drunk," Barry found words, even if they were slurred.

"You're already drunk," Oliver said blatantly unimpressed.  “Hold this here,” Oliver made Barry hold the damp cloth in place as he sat back cutting up gauze to an appropriate size.

Barry stayed quiet feeling the kind touches Oliver used to place and secure the gauze on his forehead, "I want to get more drunk..." 

"You could have a concussion, should you even be drinking?" Oliver judged but wasn't about to attempt to take the bottle out of Barry's hands. 

Barry just shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m fine, Barry said stubbornly, clenching his jaws.

“Because you right now are the perfect definition of fine,” Oliver said sarcastically before sighing, “It’s getting hot in here,” Oliver looked at Barry who had sweat coating his skin, “Want to move to the living room?” 

 

Barry shrugged but didn’t make the effort to get up. Oliver sighed in pity and held out a hand. Then Barry looked at him, confusion and pain in his eyes. Slowly Barry grabbed his hand as Oliver pulled him up, careful not to slip himself. When Barry swayed uneasily, Oliver placed a hand on his arm to steady him, only to get shrugged off. He hoped Oliver wasn’t acting this way for sex, to take advantage in his current state cause if he was, right now would be a perfect time. He's known people in the past to take advantage like that. 

Before they left, Barry took a pack of cigarettes and a lighter out of the sink drawer, "I can air out the room tomorrow... sorry..."

"It's fine. It's your apartment anyway," Oliver wasn't looking forward to the smell, reminded him of his dad, but if it helped Barry then he could deal.

"I understand... you know," Oliver started as they both sat down, Barry on the couch and Oliver on the chair, "You can talk to me."

"Yeah right," Barry scoffed, bending over and placing his arms on his knees letting his forehead rest on his hands, balancing the cigarette between his fingers.

Oliver leaned back into the chair, drinking while waiting for whatever Barry was gonna do. They sat in their usual silence, except this time it wasn’t awkward.  

Barry felt better, the alcohol and cigarettes mellowing his emotions to a bearable state. He realized that Oliver helped him, he acknowledged it, but then he felt bad again. Oliver witnessed the man getting shot as well and Barry was hogging all the attention. 

“How are you?” Barry mumbled into his hands not looking up, surprising Oliver.

“What do you mean?” Oliver looked at Barry steadily.

“I mean,” Barry furrowed his brows. He wanted to know what Oliver was thinking, one of those men almost killing him in the hallway, but he didn’t know how to word his question, “I don’t know. Never mind.”

"I'm surprised you or Iris weren't as surprised, or at least scared." _They were pretty badass_.

Barry looked at Oliver, his face half hidden by his hands, "I live in a city where the impossible is possible. The only impossible thing is that you somehow managed to bring the impossible to my fucking _home_."

“hm." Oliver nodded his head once knowing Barry won that one.

Oliver took his turn in asking Barry a question, and as the night went on the alcohol set in leading Barry and Oliver to a conversation about work and a little about their moms and sisters (for Barry he talked about Iris and not his actual sister). They even shared a few laughs. Barry didn't talk about his dad much, but he gushed over his mom, but never talked about her leaving. Oliver found it odd but respected Barry's privacy. He stayed reserved in talking about the island but did talk about how it affected him when he got back which led to more about his mom. He found himself spilling about watching his mom's death. How it affected him. He was expecting one of Barry's silent nods or one-word agreement, not Barry's empathy and advice.

"It... it hurts a lot at first..." Barry mumbled and furrowed his brows. "fuck... it hurts like fucking _hell_. You don't know why they're gone or why someone would want to hurt them, but it gets a little better..."

"I… I didn’t realize how much I needed to talk about my mom," Oliver slurred, surprised at Barry's answer. He never could talk or try to think about it before and he didn't think he could if he weren't drunk.

“I understand,” Barry said quietly. For once in two months he was glad for Oliver's company. If he weren't there, Barry was sure he'd be passed out in the bathroom waking up alone and miserable.

His mind tracked back to the hospital and the guilt rushed back. He still didn't know how to feel. A part of him didn't care anymore, but at the same time he cared too much, and he still couldn't shake the feeling of murdering innocents. It wouldn't settle with him. He wanting to keep not knowing what to feel. He didn't want to feel guilty, but he also was scared he would find himself not caring. 

"Barry?" Oliver asked, noticing the immediate change in attitude. "Are you okay?"

"I... I don't know what I feel," Barry was honest. He wanted to talk about it, but he didn't know what to talk about. He and Iris would probably talk about it eventually, she probably would need to talk, but he didn't put it past him that Oliver was trying to help and he did get Iris out of the way. 

"Have... have you k.... killed someone before?" Barry turned the conversation sober. He was ready to talk about some of it, but had trouble breathing, hiccupping between words looking at the his almost empty vodka bottle in his hands, tapping the glass nervously.

Oliver seemed more relaxed and alert when replying, definitely the less of the drunken men, "I spent five years alone on an Island. I had to do some stuff I'm not proud of."

"You had to kill people?" Barry didn't know what answer he wanted.

"Uh, yeah, kind of," Oliver realized that he rattled off a secret he never told anyone. He was hoping Barry was too drunk to remember in the morning. He didn't see any judgment in Barry's eyes though, no change in attitude or nervous body gestures. It was just Barry accepting what he heard.

"Thought you were alone," Barry mumbled, side eyeing Oliver. An answer he wasn't expecting.

"Well... I... it was hellish," Oliver replied lamely. "A lot was happening.

"I— never mind," Barry bit back a snarky reply at the inconsistency of Oliver's story.

The two sat in silence once again when Barry couldn't hold in his thoughts.

"I killed them—” Barry grimaced, realizing he didn’t say him. He wondered if Oliver caught it or was too drunk to realize the mistake. He took another sip, almost done with the bottle, drinking way past his limit.

Oliver didn’t catch the plural form and continued to try to give Barry helpful support, “I had to— to kill people. Not all of them were bad either. I didn’t know them, but I knew they were innocent… like you said, it gets better..." Oliver knew that wasn't helpful at all and hated that he even said something. 

Oliver didn’t know, but that didn’t make Barry feel better. It’s just some sick thing that Oliver wouldn’t know they had in common. Either way, Barry knew that was Oliver's sorry attempt at consoling, and he gave him a small smile of appreciation. 

“I don’t care if I killed _him_. He killed innocent people,” Barry felt a shallow feeling of anger rise before he suffocated the emotion with smoke, “I mean…”

“No, I understand. When I killed… the bad guys, it was easy.” _Too easy_ , Oliver looked away not knowing why he was sharing this info.

“What are you getting at?”

“I know what you’re feeling right now, and I know it sucks, but…” Oliver was rambling now, he didn’t know how to console. He had no one when he was forced to kill. His emotions were beaten out of him, which he could technically do with Barry, but he wasn’t going to. He wasn’t a monster like the men who taught him.

“That man was going to kill you— _Iris_. You had to make the tough decision, and you did.”

Barry felt tears form in his eyes. He blinked them back quickly, looking at the ceiling.

“I killed them,” Barry accidentally let a tear slip. He quickly wiped it away with the palm of his hand. He didn't want Oliver to see him vulnerable, but then again Oliver just saw Barry vulnerable  _and_ naked, so he couldn't dig a hole that much deeper.

Oliver’s drunken heart cracked slightly when he heard the crack in Barry’s voice, but he was confused. “What do you mean?”

“I… I could have done more, but I couldn’t. The man killed so many at the hospital. I don’t know— I—I don’t— It’s—” Barry rambled, stumbling over his words unable to speak. He was working himself up again, and he couldn't do that. He emptied the bottle, choking and sputtering as the liquid collided with the knot forming in his throat.

“Hey, hey. You don’t have to talk about it,” Oliver leaned forward when Barry started coughing, his chest heaving. 

Oliver stopping when Barry flinched away. He didn’t understand what Barry was saying, but he suspected that it was something CSI related.

 

Exhaustion hit him like a truck and he decided to call it a night. He didn't want something to happen between him and Oliver when he potentially couldn't remember in the morning. He was sad, and when he was sad he usually did things he regretted in the morning. Barry downed the last of the alcohol, about 6 shots worth ignoring Oliver's surprised expression. The alcoholic reaction hit him right away and he couldn't sit still anymore. He realized his mistake and that there was more of his concoction in the bottle than Vodka as he felt himself swaying and losing consciousness. He stood up but felt a wave of dizziness almost knock him over if it weren't for Oliver jumping up, off balance himself, and grabbing his arm to steady him Barry shook him off, not trusting Oliver even though he showed support.

"Don't... no," Barry whimpered, clearly tensing and looking down shaking his head wildly. He pushed Oliver away physically, stumbling to back away, only to hit the couch and fall into a sitting position. He was losing consciousness and already came to terms that he was gonna have sex tonight.

Oliver paused for a second confused before he felt sorry for the pitiful sight in front of him wondering what the fuck went on in Barry's life to make him so jumpy and tense.

"I'm not going to hurt you," He softened his tone, "At least lay down," Oliver held his hands out just in case Barry fell as Barry lowered himself onto the couch.

Oliver sat on the chair watching Barry on the couch making sure he didn't show any signs of alcohol poisoning. After the last swig and in general the whole night, Oliver wondered how the other man wasn't dead.

It didn't take long for Barry to pass out and when he did, Oliver carefully checked for a pulse when Barry's breathing evened slowly.

Oliver, feeling drunk himself, managed to get the blanket draped over the couch and successfully drape it over Barry's body. He sat on the couch, slowly drinking the last beer keeping watch over the apartment and Barry.

Maybe it was his drunk mind thinking, but Oliver thought that after tonight, he and Barry had a chance at an actual friendship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a long chapter, which I don't necessarily like, but I didn't want to delete too much since this is the beginning of their future relationship. This was really fun to write though.  
> I kinda wanted them to have sad, drunk sex, but then I decided I'd hold that out for another future situation. 
> 
> Hope you liked this chapter! Maybe I can pop out or two more chapters before school starts...
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are greatly appreciated, they make me super happy and keep me motivated. The longer the comments are especially, but even a <3 makes me happy and appreciated...  
> Thank you!


	26. Barry: Rooftop Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry started thinking about Oliver and his recent actions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may go through and title all the chapters, but as for now I hope you enjoy!

_What happened last night?_ Barry could only remember tidbits, not sure if he wanted to remember all of it.

He thought last night was a dream. The way Oliver treated him when he lost control. The way they bonded over family stories. The way they acted like friends.

When he woke up, he smelled coffee (that Oliver brewed for him)

he woke up with a blanket over him, (that Oliver placed)

hell, Oliver wanted to check the injury (which led to a minor spat since Barry knew whatever head injury he sustained was healed).

Barry was waiting for the catch, but none showed. 

 

Barry shuffled in shame out the door and ran a block away from the precinct walking in with his head lowered. Everyone knew what he did to the intruder, it was no secret, and Barry just wanted to get to his lab before anyone asked questions.

 

Barry stared at his computer screen playing with his sleeves and biting his pencil thinking about the breakfast conversation he had.

_"Did I... you... we..." Barry stammered._

_"Fuck?" Oliver helped finish the sentence._

_"Yeah."_

Barry cringed. it was embarrassing to ask, but he had to know. He wouldn't have felt pain because of his body's healing, but he didn't want to live with someone who hurt him.

_"No. No we didn't."_

_"Did we kiss?" Barry thought Oliver lied._

_"No."_

_"Did we do_ anything _?" Barry elaborated unable to believe Oliver._

_"No. We didn't do anything." Oliver looked slightly annoyed which made Barry retreat into his mind trying to balance logic and fear._

It was embarrassing, being cared for and seen that vulnerable, but Oliver never brought up something Barry didn't ask. 

Barry was trying too hard to focus on his lab reports when Joe walked in. Barry didn't have to look, he knew the sound of Joe's steps on the concrete. He sat in the chair pretending to be busy waiting to see what Joe wanted.

"How are you?" Joe asked, keeping a poker face and fiddling around with a pencil on the desk he leaned on.

"I'm good. Great, actually." Barry replied with no emotion.

"Really." It wasn't a question. Barry could hear the fatherly harsh tone hiding the never ending worry that Joe felt when it came to Barry.

"Do you want something?" Barry spun around, placing his elbow on the arm wrest and resting his chin on his palm, nervously biting at his nails with his sleeves bunched up in his palms. 

"Oliver didn't hurt you, did he?" Joe gestured to Barry's bandage, jumping to the worst case scenario.

"What? No! Oliver, he... actually helped me?" Barry furrowed his brows, still unsure how much he trusted Oliver. No man would admit to raping an unconscious person.

"That doesn't sound convincing," Joe scoffed.

"He did." Barry replied seriously, but not slowly and cautiously.

"How'd that happen then?" Joe didn't believe Barry.

"I uh... accidentally slipped when I got out of the shower and hit my head on the sink." Barry looked away to hide his flushed face, his eyes darting around the room as he bit his lip.

"Mhmm," Joe nodded his head, trying to read Barry's poker face. The only sign of nervousness he showed was his fingers picking at his sleeves.

"So Oliver... he's been your roommate for two months?" Joe crossed his arms. "Does Iris know?"

"Yeah..." Barry spilled everything that's been going on minus him being the Flash and anything associated with it.

"So you thought he would be your roommate for a week, but now he's official now?" joe tried wrapping his head around the news. He remembered so many nights of Iris and sometimes Barry walking into his home and complaining about Oliver and his friends.

"Yeah..."Barry was too wrapped up with himself to realize he never gave Oliver a key and never questioned it. How official was it to him?

_Fucker must've been picking the lock the whole time._

Joe raised his eyebrow. "I just want to know you're okay."

"I am. I'm coping." Barry smiled reassuringly.

"Drinking isn't the way to solve problems."

"Yeah, but it helps me." Barry's smile disappeared feeling himself jump to defense.

Joe looked like he wanted to argue, but cut himself short, he could never undo the problems that Henry created, he could just help the problems, "you know that you've always got a safe place at my  
Home, right?"

Barry looked up at Joe and smiled kindly, "yeah, always."

  
He was appreciative of Joe's patience and kindness, almost letting the guilty feeling of not telling him of his secret identity.

  
-

As the week went on, Barry couldn't stop thinking of Oliver.

He _hated_ it.

He didn't know why his mind was hooked on Oliver, but then he realized it's because Oliver tried, no, did take care of him. Barry forgot when he was last taken care of like that. Rare moments like that were something to keep in your brain.

Oliver was still a dick and it felt like they walked on eggshells, but he also felt like some of those eggshells got cleaned up. They didn't talk much, but they acknowledged each other with words and small conversation. 

He decided to trust Oliver's word. Oliver didn't act any different and if anything, he acted kinder.

The only thing other than work that took his mind off the matter was the meta humans. Since the hospital attack metas started popping up like crazy. Some were violent and some were just confused people.

"This is what I'm talking about!" Dr. Wells scolded Barry after the latest meta encounter, "You let out a potential threat, in this case multiple threats when you let those patients out."

"Bette's a good person! She wasn't trying to hurt anyone," Barry defended himself and the woman who developed exploding powers from the hospital blast. He was getting tired of Dr. Wells always scolding him like he was a child. He may be a rookie hero, but he was a grown ass adult.

"You're lucky she was good, if she was bad she could have wiped out the whole city in a night, abut the other people who may have powers in there may not be as upstanding of a citizen as she was," Dr. Wells had the last say.

Barry groaned in annoyance that whenever he did something good, Dr. Wells had a way to make a lecture about it being bad.

"Do you know why there are so many metas? Especially now?" Caitlin asked.

"Barry, you said the thing was energy blast you saw was red, right?"

"Yeah? So?"

"That was the color of the particle accelerator blast.." Cisco started piecing the puzzle together.

"You don't think..." Caitlin looked nervously st the two who shared a mutual discomfort.

"What?" Barry asked, but he thought he knew. The same energy that created the original metas, him, was being re created. He crossed his arms, standing rigid as the three looked at him.

"They're making small explosives with the same tech we used. Whoever is making them wants the people to have powers." Dr. Wells said.

"Someone who can create metas with technology has to be stopped," Cisco said.

"Okay, but if they're creating more metas than we can take down, what's going to happen then? Barry could die. I don't want to put him in more danger than he should go up against," Caitlin said.

Barry didn't say something. He uncrossed his arms and ran.

\---  
"I know you're around here!" Barry shouted on the rooftop, dressed in his flash outfit.

  
He guessed that the Arrow hung out on the roofs, that's how he could see and get to places as quickly as he did. He stood and waited, the humming from generators and the city life buzzing beneath him.

"For someone so fast, you don't take the extra time to look around" the Arrow's voice cut through the darkness making Barry spin around and scan the area, but he was nowhere in sight.

The Arrow walked out from the shadows with his arrow ready to shoot. "What do you want?"

"Help."

"I work alone. I told you this."

"We worked well last time, and the meta humans," Barry attempted to convince the Arrow, telling him what he learned at the labs. Barry felt better when the Arrow lowered his bow, letting Barry relax and thinking he hit an interest in the Arrow.

"We can be stronger together than we would alone."

"You're not trained and still mess up—"  
"I'm learning. I'm getting better!" Barry was at his last thread before he was back at square one.

The Arrow didn't say anything. He stayed still.

  
"I mean, if you really want to work alone, that's fine," Barry decided to play the Arrow's field, "but you know, if you give a little you get a lot in return"

He couldn't see the Arrow's features well, but he could practically hear the gears turning in his head.

"So a little help will give me what?"

  
"An awesome partner" Barry joked from nervousness. He was glad he was vibrating to hide his shaking.

  
"Fine." The Arrow nodded, no hint of how he was feeling in his tone.

-

Oliver was in his room counting his paycheck, deciding to give Barry at least half of it.

  
_you give a little you get a lot in return_

  
Oliver wasn't thrilled teaming up with a rookie, but if what he said about metas was true, Oliver felt obligated to help. He also wanted answers, wondering if he was hit with a blast which gave him specific enhanced abilities he was discovering.

He heard the lock on the door click and he walked out to see Barry freeze and stare at him.

"Catch," Barry said and threw something at Oliver. Oliver could see the object clearly as if he had bird vision. A trait he acquired. He caught it to see a key.

Oliver didn't really know what to say.  
"I'll be up on the rooftop if you need me," Barry mumbled and walked out hastily.

Oliver put the money into the envelope, Barry's action finalizing his thought. He also realized he never thanked Barry fully for everything he's done.

He walked up to the rooftop to be met with a soft breeze. The rooftop was covered with pipes and generators, but he couldn't see Barry anywhere. He decided to look at the scenery anyways.

It was beautiful, he had to admit. The night slowly coming to life and the noise dulled down enough for it to be quiet.

"So you found the rooftop," Barry's  
Voice cut the ambiance, startling Oliver enough for his heart to skip a beat. He turned to see Barry leaning against a pipe, his legs bent at the knees in front of him and his arms draping themselves over his knees. In one hand he held a cigarette.

"Can I sit?"

"Sure. I'm not going to bite," Barry moved his head to look at Oliver, "It's a public roof anyways..."

The two sat in silence watching the sky long enough to feel the earth moving, maybe it was the cigarettes that caused the feeling, but it was enough to relax him in an odd way. Oliver noted how Barry seemed more relaxed around him. It took a while, but Oliver didn't mind. After seeing that side of Barry, Oliver saw Barry as a scared puppy who was only an asshole to keep himself safe.

he almost smiled at the thought. It reminded him of himself when he was younger and even now.

"Iris and I used to come up here every night." Barry shared randomly.

  
"What happened?" Oliver asked. He remembered Barry talking about her. How he wasn't jealous but at first despised Eddie. How he knew Iris wasn't his and  just his best friend, but now they didn't talk as much as they'd both like. 

Barry didn't have to say anything for Oliver to know that Barry probably felt abandoned. 

"She moved on," Barry answered with slight distaste in his voice.

"I have something for you," Oliver handed Barry the envelope.

Barry look confused, holding the cigarette between his lips as he opened the envelope. He looked at Oliver with a soft, but sad look.

"I can't take this. You need it more than me." Barry tried handing it back.

"That's probably true, but I want you to have it."

"Why?"

"You—" Oliver didnt know what to say. He wasn't good at this. "Listen..." Oliver trailed off and swallowed his pride. He never thanked Barry, and didn't know where to start.

"I'm listening," Barry inhaled his cig, closing his eyes and leaning his head back.

"Thank you... For..." For taking me in even though I made your life hell. For putting up with me, buying extra food, not killing him over something stupid, "everything..." Oliver stood a good couple feet away from Barry, not sure how he'd react.

"No problem." Barry replied with no emotion keeping his eyes closed. Smoke billowing out with his words. 

Oliver let himself relax, sitting and surrounding himself by the atmosphere around him. Enjoying this moment beside someone who he didn't know anymore, but found himself wanting to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are feelings starting to brew?? Of  
> Course they'll still be friends first.
> 
> Ugh I started school so now I can't write as often. Hopefully I can keep up.
> 
> Comments are amazing they keep me motivated and now since school is starting they'll make my day a little more bearable.
> 
> Kudos are great too I can't believe how many I've gotten in what, 2-3 chapters?
> 
> Thank you!


	27. Oliver: Meta's Evolving

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, but still a chapter.

Oliver and The Flash just finished fighting a meta human when they heard a bomb explode somewhere else in the city.

“Go, I got her,” The Flash ordered hastily, already picking the unconscious meta in his arms.

Oliver nodded and climbed up a fire escape, convincing himself that it was his natural strength that got him to the top effortlessly instead of something supernatural. Oliver made it up to a rooftop to see red smoke lazily dissipating in the air from the outskirts of the city, close to where he worked. He felt like he was flying as his feet barely touched the ground when he ran. He entered the streets enveloped in red smoke as he saw the military drive in with gas masks as people ran, shooting and pinning people down. Oliver saw the bomb, a small, metallic ball that emitted red energy in bursts and latched onto the ground securely with a special kind of claw on four sides of the ball. 

The Flash was beside the Arrow in a second as two meta’s entered the scene, one that shot ice and another who created fire, both in various forms. They fought side by side in unison, saving each other. The Flash caught bullets and ice sickles before they could hit Oliver, and the Oliver would save The Flash's back, shooting an arrow whenever The Flash was rushing civilians out of harm's way and not throwing punches and disarming the soldiers.

Oliver felt a short burst of pain in his arm and looked to see that a soldier hit him with one of the little devices and saw the light blinking green. He didn’t know what it meant ripping the device and crushing it under his foot, effectively shooting an arrow at the man who shot him. Behind the man, Oliver’s heighted senses saw a little girl hiding behind a flipped over car. Her dirty white shirt sticking out of the gray heap of rubble surrounded by fire.

Shooting at the soldiers and the angry man engulfed in fire, he ran to save the girl.

_It was Henry's daughter._

He barked orders at her to run while he kept her safe acting as her body guard as she ran to a safe area until the Flash could rescue her.

“We got ‘em all General!” Oliver heard a soldier yell, an unconscious young civilian in his arms with a device blinking green on their arm.

Oliver started to understand. It was a knowledge that he understood, but couldn't grasp.

The red smoke, the devices, the increase in Meta’s and the Military always being at a location in seconds all made sense now; The military was creating bombs which created Meta Humans, giving them powers.

_Giving him powers._

He looked at The Flash but it seemed he already knew as well. The Flash looked at the bomb which radiated energy and Oliver knew that the man was going to do something stupid.

“No! Don’t!” Oliver yelled over the noise, but The Flash was already in motion picking it up, but when he touched it Oliver felt a jolt of electricity stem from his chest.

The world seemed to slow down, Oliver felt the electric energy course over his skin could see at the speed of The Flash, and only him and the speedster were moving. The smell of burning skin and sweat filled his nose. 

Oliver could barely look, the lightning emitting too much light to look at for a long time. Squinting and a hand protectively over his eyes, Oliver could make out waves of red electricity traveling up the Flash's arms and yellow lightning traveling down to the device causing sparks to fly everywhere. As the Flash struggled to get the thing unsecured, Oliver could see the device burning through the Flash's gloved hands, but The Flash didn't give up till it was dislodged from the ground.

The world turned back to normal when the device was disarmed and he stared with others as The Flash was glowing with yellow energy, lightning coursing in the whites of his eyes. It looked like The Flash was glitching and soon there were two of them. Oliver didn't understand. 

It didn't matter though, in a millisecond Oliver's own senses caught up to him when a roped net was being thrown over The Flash while he was distracted.

"Run!" Oliver yelled as he watched The Flash run out of the way and leave the scene with the device, the net falling harmlessly to the ground.

Oliver ran from the scene, knowing he was a target now that he thought he had powers. Oliver ran, letting his hood down as soon as he could, unable to come to terms he could potentially have powers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is short, well... I guess short, but it's the best I could do with the limited time I have now :(  
> It still has a ton of thing in here though that will come up in later chapters, so it's not here and written just for an update.
> 
> Comments are nice they keep me motivated.
> 
> And much love to all of you for the kudos <3


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